Through the Sliding Doors
by siriusly lupine
Summary: ... and onto the road not taken. What would Hermione's life be like if she missed the Hogwarts Express her 7th year? How different would it be if she caught it? Idea borrowed from the movie 'Sliding Doors'... HGSB
1. Ch 1 Prologue

**Through the Sliding Doors... and onto the road not taken. A Harry Potter fan fiction inspired by the movie Sliding Doors.**

**Chapter One**

**Prologue**

Hermione Granger woke to the sound of the neighbour's lawnmower and knew immediately that it was going to be one of those days. After a horrid night's sleep – thanks to dreams of people she loved falling through the veil – the abrasive sound of a lawnmower was the last thing she wanted to hear upon waking. Glancing at the clock, Hermione sprang out of bed and sprinted to the bathroom to freshen up. Upon catching sight of herself in the mirror, she thought it was definitely going to be one of those days.

After a record-setting speed shower, Hermione donned a pair of jeans, a button-down shirt, and trainers. She scraped her curly hair into a ponytail and rushed about her room gathering up her belongings.

I can not believe no one woke me earlier! I knew I should have taken the time to pack last night! I am so behind schedule!

Being late and unprepared was not in Hermione Granger's character. Throwing all of her school books and clothes into her trunk haphazardly, she blamed her parents for scheduling a vacation right before she had to return to Hogwarts School of Witchcraft and Wizardry. The Grangers knew their only daughter well enough to know that she liked to be prepared. But they decided not to return from their family vacation until the night before Hermione left for school. Hermione knew they meant well, but they really screwed up her schedule.

After she packed everything she would need for the term, Hermione tripped down the stairs to find her half kneazle Crookshanks. Catching sight of the mangy orange beast, Hermione followed him into the kitchen where her parents were having tea.

"Morning dear," Mrs. Granger greeted her frazzled child.

"Morning Mum and Dad," Hermione replied, snatching up a snarling Crookshanks. "I am running way behind schedule. I must be off or I'll never make it to Kings Cross in time to catch the Hogwarts Express."

Placing a kiss on both her mom and dad's cheek while Crookshanks struggled in her arms, Hermione bid them farewell.

"Have a good year, love," Mrs. Granger said sweetly. "Write us as often as you can," Mr. Granger added.

Hermione smiled lovingly at her parents as she wrestled a very unhappy Crookshanks into his carried and shrunk her trunk to fit in her pocket. With Crookshanks' carrier in one hand, she waved to her parents with the other and spun in place to disapparate.

Arriving at the designated apparition point in a secluded corner of Kings Cross Station, Hermione sprinted toward the barrier to Platform 9 ¾. Weaving through the crowded station, she tried to casually lean against the barrier to catch her breath and slipped through unnoticed by the Muggles.

As she went through, a strange whooshing sound echoed in her ears, as if a strong gust of wind was rushing past. It was not a sensation she experienced the numerous times she passed through the barrier. What is going on, Hermione wondered.

Just as the echo in her ears subsided, a tingle ran down her spine, causing goose pimples to pop up on her skin. Mere milliseconds later, Hermione screamed as a crushing pain hit her in the abdomen. Doubling over and nearly dropping Crooks' carrier, Hermione thought she was being split in two.

After what seemed like an eternity, the agonizing pain disappeared. A moment later, Hermione appeared on the Platform, shaken and terrified from the most bizarre experience. Turning to stare back at the barrier in utter confusion, Hermione tried to regain her wits.

_That was the strangest thing that I have ever experienced, which says a lot, considering_…

The screech of the final whistle for the Hogwarts Express jarred Hermione from her thoughts and all memory of what just happened fled her mind as she realized the train was about to leave. Racing for the nearest entrance onto the train, the carrier containing a very disgruntled ginger fur ball gripped tightly in her hand, Hermione prayed that she would reach it in time.


	2. Ch 2 Hermione Missed the Train

AN: To avoid confusion and still maintain the premise, this story will be divided in the following way:

Even Chapters will follow the path after Hermione misses the Hogwarts Express and the events that occur because of that.

Odd Chapters will follow the path after Hermione catches the Hogwarts Express and the events that occur because of that.

Both paths will have some things in common, but as each path progresses because of the events that occur based on whether Hermione caught the train or not, you will see how they digress.

* * *

**Chapter Two:**

**Hermione Missed the Hogwarts Express**

_Last time: The screech of the final whistle for the Hogwarts Express jarred Hermione from her thoughts and all memory of what just happened fled her mind as she realized the train was about to leave. Racing for the nearest entrance onto the train, the carrier containing a very disgruntled ginger fur ball gripped tightly in her hand, Hermione prayed that she would reach it in time._

* * *

Just as Hermione was about to reach the train, she tripped over an abandoned luggage cart, which sent her tumbling to the ground and Crookshanks' carrier flying through the air. Scrambling to get up, she fetched the carrier containing a ferociously roaring Crookshanks and watched in horror as the Hogwarts Express disappeared into the distance.

"Perfect! Just bloody perfect! Honestly, this is a great start to my last year at Hogwarts!" Hermione fumed. Glancing around the station, she considered her options. I guess I can just apparate to Hogsmeade and walk to Hogwarts from there. I'll get there before everyone else and I could use the fresh air and exercise to clear my head after this disastrous morning.

Feeling bruising and downtrodden, Hermione clutched the carrier in her arms and spun in place. A beat later Hermione stumbled outside of The Three Broomsticks. Regaining her balance and her bearings, she strode off in the direction of the school grounds. She could only imagine what Harry, Ron, and Ginny were thinking about her absence on the train. Especially Ron, since he and Hermione were in a relationship.

Deep in thought, Hermione never noticed the two black robed figures appear from an alley behind her.

Spotting the Shrieking Shack in the distance, her thoughts turned to Remus Lupin. I wonder how Remus is doing and if he ever confessed his love to Tonks.

Earlier in the summer, Hermione stayed at the Order of the Phoenix Headquarters at Grimmauld Place, Sirius Black's old family house. One night, after everyone went to bed, Hermione could not sleep and decided to make herself some tea in the kitchen. When she walked through the door, she found Remus sitting at the table in the dark, his hands wrapped tightly around a half-empty bottle of Ogden's Old. He gazed bleary-eyed at her as she silently flicked a wrist to light a few candles in the room.

Hermione sat with him for a while, trying to figure out what caused him to drink half a bottle of firewhisky alone. After an hour of idle chit-chat and retelling of old tales, Remus broke down. He told Hermione how he was in love with Tonks and how certain he was that she could never love him back. He admitted that he had been in love with her for years and never told a soul, not even his best friend Sirius Black.

A chill ran down Hermione's spine, jarring her from her march down Memory Lane. Allowing her senses to take in her surroundings, she had the distinct feeling that she was being followed. Stopping dead in her tracks, Hermione spun on her heels and looked around for any sign of someone or something following her.

Hmm, that is odd. Nothing's there. This day has just rattled…

A strong, gloved hand closed over her mouth and a thick arm wrapped around her abdomen from behind her, trapping her arms at her sides. Eyes darting around fearfully, Hermione tried to get a look at her assailant. Whoever it was, he was big and strong, his body not budging in her relentless struggles.

"Well, well, well, what do we have here? A lost Gryffindor all alone," a harsh voice rasped in her ear.

Hermione ceased her struggles at the sound of the voice. It sounded familiar. Looking up, she gasped. Oh Merlin, this is not good.

"Remember me, do you?"

"How could I forget you, Dolohov," Hermione spat, attempting to disguise her increasing anxiety.

Laughing darkly, Dolohov gestured to the man holding Hermione captive. "Release her, Nott." The man released her as ordered, moving to stand near his comrade.

"What are you doing out here all alone, little Mudblood?" Dolohov asked, eyeing her from the bottom up. "Shouldn't you be on the train with the rest of the ickle children?"

Ignoring the 'Mudblood' remark, Hermione sent up a silent prayer to whatever deity was listening for a little bit of divine intervention. "I was heading back to Hogwarts, not that it's any of your business, Dolohov. Doesn't Lord Voldemort have more important things for you to do than mill about in Hogsmeade?"

Why must I antagonize him? Being a smart bint will not help the situation!

Dolohov snarled, stepping closer to Hermione. "Mind your attitude, Mudblood. That smart mouth will get you into more trouble than you bargained for."

Hermione fought not to cower under his unwavering, hateful glare. I am not going to escape this situation unscathed, if I can even escape at all. Merlin, I could really use some help right now!

As if the spirit of Merlin himself heard Hermione's plea, a very large figure appeared in the distance. Hermione watched with increasing hope as the figure approached quickly. She nearly collapsed with relief as she realized who it was – Hagrid must have been passing time at the Hogs Head Pub before the arrival of the students.

Seeing Hermione's expression change, Dolohov and Nott followed her gaze. None to happy with the impending interruption of their fun, the pair shared a brief look that left Hermione shaking. In a flash, the pair waved their wands and shouted.

With no time to dodge the curses flung in her direction, Hermione was hit full force on her arms and face before being thrown backwards. Somehow, over the sound of her own screams she heard Hagrid's booming voice shout her name just before her back made contact with a tree. The last thing she saw before blackness claimed her was the pair of Death Eaters disappear into thin air.

* * *

A mediwitch, a half-giant, and an old wizard with a long white beard crowded around the bed of an unconscious Hermione Granger. All three were clearly worried over the state of one of their favourite students.

"Thank Merlin you arrived when you did, Hagrid!"

"Yes, Poppy is right. I hate to think about what might have happened to young Miss Granger if you were not there."

Hermione's groggy mind took in the sounds around her as she slowly regained consciousness. Ugh, my head hurts… actually, my entire body hurts. Slowly opening her eyes, she groaned. It's entirely too bright in here!

"Oh! You're awake! How do you feel, Miss Granger?" Madam Pomfrey asked as she bustled about, monitoring her waking patient.

Attempting to open her eyes again, Hermione blinked into the brightness. "Ah, er," she tried to speak but found that her throat was raw and her voice was not cooperating.

"Here child, drink some water," Headmaster Dumbledore held a glass of water to her lips. Hermione greedily gulped down half the glass before she attempted to speak again.

"Thank you, sir," Hermione rasped. "I feel like I was trampled by twelve hippogriffs."

Hagrid chuckled before clearing his throat shamefully. "Those Death Eaters hit yeh with some pretty rough hexes, 'Mione. I tried to reach yeh as quick as I could, but yeh were already unconscious by the time I got to yeh."

Smiling, Hermione thanked her favourite half-giant. "I'm just glad you showed up. I do not want to think about what might have become of me otherwise." She shuddered at the possible outcomes that raced through her mind, each worse than the one before.

"Miss Granger, I must ask, what were you doing walking on the path from Hogsmeade when all students should have been on the Hogwarts Express?" Headmaster Dumbledore's blue eyes peered over the top of his half moon spectacles as he awaited Hermione's explanation.

"Forgive me, sir, for breaking the rules. I was running very much behind schedule this morning and missed the train at the station by mere seconds. As I watched the Hogwarts Express disappear into the distance, I decided the simplest solution was to apparate to Hogsmeade and walk to Hogwarts."

"Theoretically, it was a sound plan. However, in these times, we must put safety first in all situations. It was not safe for you to apparate to town and walk to Hogwarts alone. It is by the very grace of Merlin that you are even with us right now." Dumbledore patted Hermione's shoulder tenderly. "Next time, alert the Order to your situation and someone will escort you."

"Understood, sir," Hermione said, chastised. "In all honesty, it never even occurred to me that I would be in danger. I am very sorry for being so short-sighted."

"Pssshhh! Do not concern yourself with it now, dear," Madam Pomfrey chimed in. "What's done is done. Just remember to be safe if there is ever a next time."

"Madam Pomfrey is correct. What's done is done and now it is time for you to rest. You had quite an ordeal today. Be well, dear girl." The headmaster patter her shoulder again as he turned to face Hagrid. "Come Hagrid, the students will be arriving momentarily and I do believe the first years would be lost without you to lead them to the boats."

As the wizards approached the exit to the Hospital Wing, the Headmaster turned back to face Hermione. "I will inform Mr. Potter, Miss Weasley, and Mr. Weasley of your situation. I am sure that all three are quite worried about you but I want you to rest and recover so I will not allow them to visit this night."

"Thank you, Headmaster," Hermione replied, relieved at not having to deal with her friends until the next day. Turning to Madam Pomfrey as the Headmaster and Hagrid left the room, she sighed. "I suppose that means I am stuck here overnight?"

"Oh, do not sound so excited, Hermione," the mediwitch joked. "Yes, I would like you to stay here for the night. I will give you a few potions to heal your injuries but I want to monitor you for any unforeseen spell damage." Madam Pomfrey bustled off to collect the aforementioned potions.

This really is not my day, Hermione thought. Her first night back for her last year at Hogwarts and she was spending it on a cot in the Hospital Wing, alone. I overslept, didn't pack, missed the Hogwarts Express for the first time in my life, and was attacked by Death Eaters… all I need is for Ron to cheat on me and I will Avada Kedavra myself.

Madam Pomfrey appeared at her side and administered the necessary potions. After swallowing the last dose, Hermione thanked the mediwitch and settled back into the pillow. A moment later, she was asleep.


	3. Ch 3 Hermione Caught the Train

**Chapter Three:**

**Hermione Caught the Hogwarts Express**

_Last time: The screech of the final whistle for the Hogwarts Express jarred Hermione from her thoughts and all memory of what just happened fled her mind as she realized the train was about to leave. Racing for the nearest entrance onto the train, the carrier containing a very disgruntled ginger fur ball gripped tightly in her hand, Hermione prayed that she would reach it in time._

* * *

Hermione dodged past an abandoned luggage cart as she raced toward the train. She jumped onto the nearest set of steps just as the Hogwarts Express began to move. Breathing a sigh of relief, Hermione set about locating her friends in their usual compartment.

Hermione entered the compartment to find Harry and Ginny sitting there chatting. "There you are!" Ginny exclaimed.

Greeting her friends, she set the carrier on the ground and opened the latch so the frazzled half-kneazle could escape his confines for a while. Sitting down next to Ginny, Hermione sighed deeply.

"Why are you so late, 'Mione?" Harry asked, his brow furrowed with worry. "You almost missed the train! That's not like you at all."

"This day has been insane. I overslept and wasn't packed yet because of our family trip. I have been running frantic all morning," Hermione explained.

"At least you made it!" Ginny said. "We were running late too. Ron forgot to pack his broomstick and made us turn around to go get it. Mum threatened to beat him with it if he made us miss the train."

The trio laughed at the thought of the Weasley matriarch beating her youngest son with his broomstick. "I could definitely see your mom doing that," Harry said through a fit of the giggles.

As the laughing subsided, Hermione realized that the object of their joking was not there. "Where is Ron anyway?"

"Not sure," Ginny replied. "He was right behind us as we boarded, but he disappeared. We figured he went to the loo or stopped to chat with someone."

Hermione noticed the redhead was avoiding her gaze, but shrugged it off. "Oh, okay. How was the rest of your holiday?"

Ginny and Harry exchanged excited looks before turning back to Hermione. "Well, the past couple of weeks have been eventful. You missed a lot while on holiday with your parents, Hermione," Harry said. Smiling brightly, he was almost bouncing in his seat. "Remus and Dumbledore came back with a big surprise after an Order mission three weeks ago."

Intrigued, Hermione leant forward in her seat waiting for Harry to continue with his story. When he didn't say anything after a minute, Hermione's patience wore thin. "Oh, alright! What was the big surprise?" Harry was such a child sometimes, Hermione thought.

Again, Harry and Ginny exchanged glances, their faces lit up as if it was Christmas morning. "Sirius is back!"

Hermione's jaw dropped in shock. "Wh… h… who… I mean, er," Hermione stuttered trying to formulate thoughts into words. Her shock was interfering with her ability to process information as well as speak coherently. Taking a deep breath, she tried again. "How did he come back?"

"That was our exact reaction when we heard the news," Ginny admitted.

Hermione stared blankly at her friends – she was still in shock. They all gave up hope six months after Sirius fell through the veil, when Dumbledore told them there was nothing that could be done to save him. To find out now that Sirius was back was just a bit disconcerting.

Harry chuckled at the blank stare on his friend's face. "We all had that look on our faces too," Harry said, which snapped Hermione back into focus. "Remus came across some kind of dark arts book while sorting through the attic at Headquarters. He flipped through it and found something relating to the veil. He immediately took it to Dumbledore, and a few days later, the pair of them left on a top secret mission. A week later, they showed up with Sirius, bruised but alive."

"It was amazing, Hermione!" Ginny exclaimed, her eyes sparkling with excitement. "He looked just as he did before he disappeared, maybe even better. He seemed fine except for a few bumps and bruises, but he didn't want to talk about the veil much."

"Wow that is amazing. Did anyone tell you how they were able to get him out of the veil?" Hermione asked, her curiosity piqued by the challenge of whatever dark arts were used.

"I should have known that would be your first question. Honestly, it never occurred to me to ask. I was just happy to have him back home," Harry admitted without apology.

"Oh, do not get me wrong, I am so happy that he is back and happy for you to have him in your life again. I know how much you missed him! I was just curious about the process," Hermione explained.

"You can ask Sirius yourself since we will see him soon," Ginny added. "He was cleared of all charges once the Ministry realized the truth about Wormtail. A lot happened in the brief time you were on holiday, as you can see."

Hermione was incredibly happy for Sirius to have his life back and to be free at that. She could not wait to see him in person and speak with him about his experience. It's because of my thirst for knowledge, not that old crush I had on him in fourth and fifth year.

The three friends continued chatting about the return of Harry's beloved godfather before Neville entered the compartment. Conversation veered towards Quidditch and Hermione decided to take her leave. It was time to find Ron. His absence was bordering on rude. Telling the others where she was headed, she missed the worried look her friends exchanged as she left the compartment.

Peering into compartments as she strolled down the corridor, Hermione complained aloud. "Come on, Ron. Where the heck are –" Coming to a halt in front of a dark compartment, Hermione gasped as she found her boyfriend.

Feeling tears well up at the sight of what her boyfriend was doing and with whom, she ripped open the compartment door and screamed. "Ronald Weasley! What the bloody hell do you think you're doing?"

Her boyfriend of a while, who also happened to be one of her best friends of nearly seven years, was snogging Lavender Brown. I will not cry, Hermione repeated over and over in her mind until it became her mantra.

Ron gazed up form his position to see Hermione glaring at him. Releasing his grasp on Lavender, he adjusted his clothing. "It's not what it looks like, 'Mione," Ron pleaded.

Hermione looked at him in disgust. "Not what it looks like, eh? So you weren't snogging that vapid little bitch with your clothes half undone?"

"Hey!" Lavendar exclaimed but both Ron and Hermione shushed her.

Livid, it was all Hermione could do to prevent herself from hexing his bollocks off right there. "Right, I walk into the compartment to find you up to your bollocks in the dumbest girl you could find and you are going to sit there and tell me it's not what it looks like?"

Ron wisely decided not to say anything else that might incriminate him, opting instead to stare shamefully at his feet. Lavender Brown, on the other hand, had a whole lot of things to say in Ron's place.

"This is what happens when you leave your wizard unsatisfied," the blonde purred, smiling devilishly as she tried to strike Hermione where it hurt most. "Ron said that you never touched him and that you were always talking about your studies and arithmancy and other things that didn't interest him. He had enough of that and wanted a girlfriend that would give him what he wanted."

Hermione rolled her eyes, applauding her self control since she hadn't hexed the floozy yet. "Well, more the fool are you for believing him," Hermione stated calmly. "Thank you, Ron, for showing your true colors before we got too involved. I hope the two of you are superficially happy together forever."

Ron opened his mouth to say something, but Hermione pointed her wand at him. "do not even; you made your bed, so to speak. Deal with it. I do not want to talk to you ever again."

Spinning on her heels, Hermione opened the door to leave. Turning back before she closed the door, Hermione looked right at Lavender. "Once a cheater, always a cheater. You're an idiot if you think you will not do this to you at some point in time. It's hard to believe, but there are some witches out there that are even more vapid than you."

With that parting shot, Hermione fled the compartment, tears finally breaching the brim of her eyes. Moments later, she stood outside of the compartment that Harry, Ginny, and Neville were currently occupying. Waiting until she caught her breath and dried her eyes, she entered the compartment.

All three of her friends looked up as she entered. "Are you all right, Hermione?" Neville asked.

Feeling the emotions bubbling to a boil, Hermione launched into a tale of what happened with Ron. By the end of her explanation, Neville seemed suitably shocked, but Harry and Ginny appeared resigned. Hermione realized that they must have known what Ron was up to all along.

"I do not know what hurts more – witnessing my boyfriend in the act of cheating on me or the fact that my other two best friends knew about it and never once said a word to me," Hermione stated with gritted teeth. "I can not believe you two! How long has this been going on?"

Poor Neville, his head moved like he was at a Quidditch match as his gaze shot from person to person.

Harry and Ginny stared at each other, neither wanting to bear the wrath of the angry witch. They both knew what she was capable of when angered. Ginny was the one to speak up. "We're sorry we never told you, Hermione. Many times we wanted to, but we just didn't know how. I mean, would you have believed us if we told you Ron was seeing Lavender behind your back since about two weeks after you two started dating?"

Knowing that Ginny had a point, she would not have believed them without seeing it first hand, Hermione tried not to be too hard on her friends. Being as hurt and upset as she was, it was still hard to feel any sort of compassion for her friends' position.

Her mind was stuck on the fact that Ron cheated on her from nearly the very beginning of their relationship. All those years of close friendship and all he could spare her was two weeks of a real, committed relationship. What a wanker!

"'Mione, we are really sorr –," Harry started to apologize but was cut off by the angry witch.

"Save it, Harry. I know that you are sorry. I also know that you and Ginny were in a tough position, but right now I do not give a flying hippogryph about you two," Hermione said, grabbing Crookshanks and the carrier. "I need to get out of here."

Hermione sat alone in the compartment designated for the Head Girl and Head Boy. In all of the confusion of the morning, she completely forgot about her Head Girl duties. Luckily, the Head Boy was sympathetic and decided to do the patrols on his own. Therefore, Hermione was left to her thoughts as she sat in the Head compartment, staring out at the passing landscape.

_Today has been the worst day. I cannot wait to climb into my bed in my own room. If only I could just sleep for a week and wake up to a new life._

Hermione's thoughts were interrupted as the Head Boy slipped into the compartment, a bottle of butterbeer and a box of chocolate frogs in his hands. Hermione smiled her appreciation as he handed the loot to her and sat down next to hers.

"I thought you could use a little pick me up," Draco Malfoy said. Hermione nodded as she took a sip of the sweet drink. "Everyone is gossiping about what happened between you and Weasel."

The truth behind Draco was revealed at the end of last year when Dumbledore informed the rest of the Order and the children that Draco was working with Professor Snape as a double agent. Hermione and Ginny were the only ones, out of the rest of the Weasley children and Harry, to take the first steps with Draco. Since then, Hermione and Draco have been friends.

Hermione and Draco spent the rest of the journey to Hogsmeade chatting away about various subjects, with Draco trying his best to distract Hermione from thoughts of Ron. Hermione was grateful for his efforts and time seemed to fly by as they soon reached Hogsmeade.

Not ready to speak to Harry or Ginny yet, Hermione hopped into the same carriage as Draco for the trip from Hogsmeade Station to Hogwarts. Once the carriage arrived at Hogwarts, the pair parted ways as they led the students up to the Great Hall for the Sorting and feast.

Hermione decided to sit with Ginny and Harry, knowing that she would have to forgive them sooner or later. _I probably would have done the same if I was in their position_, Hermione thought as she sat down at the Gryffindor table.

The Sorting ended after "Zeigler, Wendy" was placed in Hufflepuff. Headmaster Dumbledore announced that the feast was to begin and food appeared on platters up and down the House tables. As they all began to eat, Hermione noticed that Ron and Lavender were sitting at the other end of the table in a crowd of newly sorted first years. After a moment of thought, she was not the least bit guilty to see them seated there like outcasts.

Just as everyone finished eating, Dumbledore stood to give the remaining announcements. The Headmaster went through the usual about the Forbidden Forest before getting to the big announcement of the evening. "I would like to welcome a new professor to our ranks."

Hermione perked up at the announcement, excited to see who the new professor was. Next to her, Harry and Ginny were sitting on the edge of their seats, broad smiles on their faces.

"Please join me in welcoming our newest Defence Against the Dark Arts Professor," Headmaster Dumbledore paused as the door to the side of the staff table opened and out walked, "Sirius Black."

Headmaster Dumbledore continued on about how Sirius was cleared of all accusations against him, but Hermione did not hear any of it. She was surprised to see that Sirius was the new DADA professor, but she was ecstatic to see him looking so… damn good. He was more handsome than she remembered and she was struggling to focus on anything the Headmaster was saying.

Sirius glanced toward the Gryffindor table as he took his seat. Catching the eye of of his godson, he smiled as Harry waved back at him. He let his eyes wander over Harry's friend, smiling as he saw Ginny. He frowned as he noticed that Ron was not sitting with them, instead sitting with some blonde girl and a bunch of first years.

Making a mental note to ask Harry about that situation later, Sirius shifted his gaze to Harry's other best friend, Hermione Granger. She was sporting a surprised smile as she waved to him. Sirius nearly choked on the sip of butterbeer he had just taken before he managed to smile and wink back at her. _Merlin, she grew up since the last time I saw her._

After the announcements, Hermione and Draco led the students out of the Great Hall before the Prefects stepped up to lead them to their appropriate House dormitories. Hermione and Draco walked to their joint common rom together before wishing each other good night.

Hermione, exhausted after such a rushed and dramatic day, settled right down into her bed. She fell asleep with thoughts of a black-haired, grey-eyed man occupying her dreams.


	4. Ch 4 Hermione Missed the Train

**Chapter Four:**

**Hermione Missed the Hogwarts Express**

_Last Time: This really is not my day, Hermione thought. Her first night back for her last year at Hogwarts and she was spending it on a cot in the Hospital Wing, alone. I overslept, didn't pack, missed the Hogwarts Express for the first time in my life, and was attacked by Death Eaters… all I need is for Ron to cheat on me and I will Avada Kedavra myself. Madam Pomfrey appeared at her side and administered the necessary potions. After swallowing the last dose, Hermione thanked the mediwitch and settled back into the pillow. A moment later, she was asleep._

* * *

The noise in the Great Hall was silenced as Professor McGonagall entered, leading a long line of first year students up to the front of the Hall for their Sorting. Occasional cheers pierced the air as the Sorting Hat called out one of the four Houses. Once the last student, Wendy Ziegler, was Sorted into Hufflepuff, Headmaster Dumbledore proceeded with the start of term announcements.

"Welcome to another year at Hogwarts! I have just a few announcements before we eat. I would like to remind you that no student is permitted to enter the Forbidden Forest, no matter what the reason." Dumbledore's twinkling blue eyes rested briefly on one section of the Gryffindor table. "Also, I would like to present to you our newest member of the staff, Professor Black, who will be your Defence Against the Dark Arts professor."

At the mention of his name, Sirius Black entered the Hall from the staff entrance and took a seat at the Heat Table next to the Deputy Headmistress. Many loud whistles and cheers were heard as he sat down.

Once the Hall was quiet again, Headmaster Dumbledore announced the feast and platters of delicious food appeared on each table.

Sirius let his gaze wander over the sea of students seated at the four long House tables as he nibbled on his dinner. He was slightly nervous, more than he thought he would be, now that his position was official. It was an odd feeling for him, nervousness. He never really felt it before and he hoped that it did not show in his behaviour. The last thing he needed was to give Severus Snape more reason to stalk him.

As Sirius' grey eyes swept over the Gryffindor table, he caught sight of his beloved godson and his friends. It was not until after he waved to Harry, Ron, and Ginny that he noticed the absence of one particular young witch. _Where is Hermione? She can not possibly be at the library already!_

He gave his godson a questioning look, hoping the boy would be perceptive enough to figure out what he was silently asking. Sure enough, Harry glanced around the Gryffindor table before meeting Sirius' eyes again and shrugging. _So, Harry doesn't know where she is either. That cannot be good._

Sirius turned to the witch next to him and quietly asked if she knew where Hermione Granger was and why she was not at the feast.

Minerva McGonagall flashed him a sad look before answering his query. "Miss Granger missed the Hogwarts Express this morning and decided to apparate directly to Hogsmeade," she informed him. Sirius detected a slight tremor in her voice as the older witch continued. "She was attacked by two Death Eaters on her journey from town. Thankfully, Hagrid arrived in time before too much harm was inflicted upon the poor child."

Sirius' eyes went wide at Minerva's explanation before his surprise turned to concern and anger. _What was she thinking, travelling alone like that?_

"And what of the two Death Eaters?" he inquired, barely containing the rage he felt at the nerve they had to harm Hermione.

"Unfortunately, they disapparated before Hagrid could reach them," Minerva answered, her thin lips forming a firm line of disapproval.

"Where is she now, Minerva? Do the children know?"

"Miss Granger is in the Hospital Ward. Poppy is keeping her overnight to ensure that she heals and rests properly," Minerva said as she watched Sirius rise from his seat. "I do not believe the children have been informed yet. Albus mentioned meeting with them after the feast."

Sirius barely heard her as he turned to leave the staff table; he was too concerned with seeing Hermione for himself. As he made his way towards the exit, his eyes landed on his godson and his friends again.

They did not noticed him leaving, for which he was thankful. He did not want to explain anything to them at the moment, for fear of saying the wrong thing and inciting a three-person riot. He would leave that delightful task to the Headmaster. It was only as he walked further down the line of the table that Sirius noticed Ron was not sitting with Harry like before. Instead, he was sitting near the opposite end of the table, nearly sharing hips with a female student who was most decidedly not Hermione.

_What is Ron doing? Last I heard, he and Hermione were an item. Maybe he has something to talk to that witch about that he did not want anyone else to hear?_

Sirius continued to watch ROn out of the corner of his eye as he made his way closer to the exit. He noticed Ron put his arm around the girl, and then watched in horror as Ron leaned in and shared a rather heated snog with witch.

_WHat the hell does he think he is doing? This is the bloody Great Hall for Circe's sake! Even if he and Hermione are no longer together, the Great Hall is not the place for such displays!_

Sirius realized his thoughts sounded much like Minerva as his anger flared up. Glancing back at his godson, Sirius watched Harry peek down the table toward Ron and expected the boy to fly from his seat in rage. Instead, all Harry did was shake his head before sharing a look with Ginny that indicated they both knew what Ron was doing.

Sirius rushed out of the Great Hall before he did anything to jeopardize his newly acquired teaching post. He decided that he would check with Hermione to see if she and Rone were still a couple before he did anything rash.

* * *

Hermione was startled awake by Madam Pomfrey a few hours after falling asleep. THe mediwitch wanted to give her young patient another dose of healing potion and make sure she ate some dinner before venturing down to the Great Hall for a meal herself.

THe sky beyond the windows was dark and Hermione knew that the students must be at the Welcoming Feast. She wondered if Harry and Ron even noticed her missing yet. _They are probably too caught up in the excitement to realize I'm not there._

Once she finished her meal, Hermione leant back against the headboard and stared out the window across from her cot, thinking about the events of the past day. Suddenly, she had the feeling that she was being watched and turned her gaze from the window to the doorway.

She tried not to react when she saw the shadow of a person leaning against the door frame. Silently telling herself not to worry as the shadow moved to step closer, she bit her lip to keep the mounting scream from bursting through.

The shadow moved so slowly that the wait was agonizing. Hermione cursed Madam Pomfrey for leaving the rest of the wing, minus Hermione's bed, in total darkness. Finally, the shadow moved into the light surrounding Hermione's area and relief washed over Hermione so swiftly she thought she might faint.

It was only Sirius Black.

A breath of air hissed from her lungs as she sighed. As the handsome man smiled broadly, the pieces clicked in her mind and she let out the blood curdling scream she fought to contain only moments ago.

"Hermione!" Sirius yelped, panicking. "Shhh, 'Mione. Stop screaming, it's just me!" Reaching for her shoulder with the intent of calming her, Sirius leapt back as Hermione thrashed about trying to get away from him. At a loss on what to do next, Sirius sank down into the chair placed next to her cot and stared balefully at the over-dramatic witch.

"Sirius?" Hermione whispered in disbelief after a few moments of staring wide-eyed at him.

"Yes?" He was bewildered by her behaviour. Perhaps she was hurt worse than he was told.

"But you're supposed to be dead," she replied, her voice barely a whisper. "Beyond the veil, lost forever."

Sirius felt like an arse as she reached out a small, long-fingered hand and said, "Are you a ghost?"

"What? No love. I'm here, I'm real. I thought you knew, love." His grey eyes bored into her chocolate brown ones, begging her to believe him. He loathed the sadness in her eyes and the last thing he wanted was for her to scream like a banshee again. "Remus and Albus found a way to bring me back a short time ago. I thought you knew!"

"No! No one told me!" Hermione flung herself at Sirius, landing as a pile of limbs in his lap. "I am so happy you are back! Harry must have been ecstatic to see you! We all missed you so much!" She started crying, tears of happiness running down her face at the safe return of a much loved wizard.

"do not cry, love," Sirius said, using his thumb to wipe away the tears. Hermione gazed up at him, doe-eyed, before reality kicked in and she scrambled off of his lap.

Giggling at herself, Hermione climbed back onto her cot. Curious, she launched into a series of questions to find out how, exactly, Remus and the Headmaster were able to bring him back. Sirius graciously answered her questions for a while since there was not too much to tell. He still did not have all of the answers himself and he told Hermione as much.

Changing tact, Sirius asked, "How come you didn't know I returned? It seems like something Harry would have blabbed to the whole world, especially one of his best friends."

"I'm sure he meant to tell me on the train, but I missed it and wound up here instead. I was traveling with my family for the past several weeks, so I haven't seen the boys or heard much from they either."

"Ah, I guess that explains it. Well, I apologize for giving you a fright," Sirius replied. "I only meant to check on you, not give you a heart attack. Good thing Poppy wasn't around or I would be in the next cot after one of her beatings." Sirius grinned as Hermione chuckled at his joke.

"How did you know that I was here?" she asked, gesturing at the bed.

"I noticed that you were not at the feast. I asked Professor McGonagall where you might be and she briefly told me about what happened today," Sirius explained.

"Oh," Hermione replied, looking down at her clasped hands. "Today was a bit of a mess, nothing seemed to go right."

"I'd say. Why didn't you contact someone when you missed the train, 'Mione?" Sirius reached forward to grasp one of her delicate hands that were kneading the bed covers.

Hermione glanced down at her left hand as Sirius held it in his larger one and a blast of warmth ran through her. Fighting off a blush, she focused her eyes on the window. "I do not know. I didn't occur to me at the time to contact anyone. I just wanted to get to Hogwarts as quickly as possible."

Sirius squeezed her hand gently as he stood. "Thankfully, you're alright. I hate to think of what might have happened to you," he admitted sadly. He hated seeing her like that, beaten down and defeated, and he did not want to imagine what more could have happened.

Hermione nodded before tilting her head to the side as she eyed Sirius curiously. "What are you doing here, anyway?"

"I told you – I came to check on you," Sirius answered, confused.

"No, I mean, what are you doing at Hogwarts in general?"

Sirius' face broke out in a large grin. "Wouldn't you like to know?"

"Sirius!" Hermione narrowed her eyes at the playful wizard, daring him to not answer her question.

"Demanding little sprite, aren't you?" Sirius said with a bark-like laugh. "Well, I am at Hogwarts because I am the new DADA professor. What do you think of that?"

Hermione's eyes lit up in excitement. "Are you really? Congratulations, Sirius!" Hermione pulled him down into a hug. "I cannot wait for DADA class now."

Sirius held onto her and whispered his thanks into her hair. He did not want to let her go for some reason and that kind of scared him. He wanted to protect her from everything – Death Eaters, Ron, everything. Reluctantly, Sirius settled the young witch back against the headboard as he stood and stepped back.

Clearing his throat, Sirius wished Hermione a good night with the promise to check on her the next day before breakfast. Pausing before he turned to leave, he asked her the one question that had been on his mind since he left the Great Hall.

"'Mione, are you and Ron still a couple?" he asked. He wanted her to say no, to save her and hurt and heartache.

"Yes, we are. Why do you ask?" Hermione replied, bewildered.

Sirius felt his heart drop at her confirmation. He could not tell her what he witnessed, not now. It would break her after the day she had.

"No reason, I just wondered, knowing how much you two bicker, I was just curious." He winced at how lame he sounded trying to cover his tracks. He eyed her warily, hoping she would accept his answer as just another one of his quirks. She did.

With a heavy heart, Sirius leant down and kissed her forehead before finally turning to leave. Madam Pomfrey entered the infirmary to check on Hermione just as he left. Nodding absently to the mediwitch, Sirius lost himself in his thoughts.

He wondered what he ought to do about Ron. Maybe I should follow Harry's lead, and just stay out of it? I do not want 'Mione to get hurt. The little voice in the back of his mind told him that she would get hurt either way. He arrived at his quarters no closer to a decision. Perhaps he would sleep on it and hope that a decision would come to him in the morning.

* * *

"Ron, have you seen Hermione?" Ginny asked as she, Harry, and Ron made their way back to the Gryffindor common room after the welcoming feast.

"No, have you?'

"No, maybe we should ask the Headmaster or Professor McGonagall," Ginny replied.

Before the three of them could even turn around, Headmaster Dumbledore crossed their path. "Mr. Potter, Miss Weasley, and Mr. Weasley, may I have a word, please?"

"Of course, sir," Harry answered as they followed the Headmaster up to his office.

Once they were all settled in the Headmaster's office, Dumbledore explained Hermione's situation to them. After a fit of rage from Harry and Ron, followed by a promise from Ginny to keep the boys under control, the Headmaster instructed them to go directly to their common room for the night. They accepted the Headmaster's orders with reluctance as long as they were permitted to see their friend in the morning.

The walk back to the common room was a quiet, contemplative one. Each of them wondered why Hermione missed the train to begin with; she was never late for anything. By the time they finally reached the Fat Lady, the three of them decided that they would go see Hermione first thing in the morning in order to escort her to the Great Hall for breakfast.

Ginny bid the boys good night before she climbed the stairs to the girls' dormitory. Harry turned to head up the stairs to the boys' dormitory, but by the third step he noticed that Ron was not behind him. Searching the room for his friend, Harry spotted him heading toward the blonde bimbo sitting in the far corner of the room.

"Oi, Ron! Are you coming?" Harry shouted, annoyed with his friend's behaviour. Ron waved him off as he sidled up to Lavender Brown.

Ron was his best friend, but he could be a royal prat sometimes. The bloke just found out that his girlfriend had a rather traumatic day and was laid up in the hospital wing because of it, and there Ron was, hiding out in a dark corner of the common room snogging some other witch. _He is a bloody prat. He doesn't deserve Hermione the way he's acting. If he keeps it up, I'm going to say something about it that he will not be able to blow off._


	5. Ch 5 Hermione Caught the Train

**Chapter Five:**

**Hermione Caught the Hogwarts Express**

_Last Time: Sirius looked down toward the Gryffindor table as he settled into his seat. Catching the eye of his beloved godson, he smiled as Harry waved to him. He then let his eyes wander to Harry's friends. Sirius smiled as he saw Ginny, but quickly frowned as he noticed Ron was sitting at the far end of the table among first years instead of with his friends. Thinking that he would ask Harry about that situation later, Sirius moved his gaze to Hermione. She was smiling up at him in surprise. He nearly choked on the mouthful of butterbeer he had sipped before he managed to smile and wink back at the striking young witch. 'Merlin, she grew up since the last time I saw her.'_

* * *

The next morning, Hermione woke up early for the first day of classes and made sure that she had plenty of time to get ready for the day. There will be no last minute rushing around today. I had enough of that yesterday.

Putting on her school uniform, Hermione noted that the clothing seemed to fit her perfectly this year. In past years, the uniforms always hung limply upon her scrawny frame. Deciding to leave her hair down for the day, she let her luscious brown curls flow half-way down her back in perfect ringlets. Glancing at herself in the mirror, Hermione was impressed with her appearance for once and decided against wearing any makeup.

"We'll go with the au natural look today, I think. What do you say, Crooks?" she asked her ginger half kneazle as he lounged on the counter next to the sink. Scratching his belly with her nails, Crookshanks merely purred in response. The mirror, on the other hand, had more to say on the matter.

"You are naturally beautiful, dear. You will break hearts today," the mirror said, sounding suspiciously similar to Mrs. Weasley. Hermione giggled at the mirror's compliment and rolled her eyes. Magical mirrors.

She left the bathroom to gather her belongings for the day, Crookshanks hot on her heels. Once the Head Girl had everything, including her new Head Girl robes, she patted Crookshanks on the head and went down the stairs to the Head common room. At the bottom of the stairs, she noticed the blonde Head Boy sitting near the fire, a scowl creasing his forehead as he read over a parchment clutched in his hands.

"Good morning, Draco," Hermione greeted cheerfully, hoping to break whatever tension he might be feeling due to that parchment.

Draco looked up from the parchment, his scowl lessening at the sight of his friend. "Not only are you a Gryffindor, but you're also a morning person. Just bloody fantastic."

Hermione rolled her eyes amusedly. "Are you ready to head down to the Great Hall for our first official breakfast as Head Boy and Girl?

Nodding, Draco grabbed his bag as he stood up to follow Hermione out of the portrait hole. The parchment lay forgotten on the settee.

* * *

"Oh, we have class with Sirius this afternoon!" Hermione declared as Professor McGonagall handed them their timetables.

"Yeah, I see it's the last class of the day and it's only us Gryffindors. That will be wicked!" Harry exclaimed.

"When do you have Defence, Ginny?" Hermione asked the youngest Weasley.

"Tomorrow, right after lunch, which isn't bad. Oh –"

Both Harry and Hermione looked up from their timetables when Ginny gasped suddenly. Following the redhead's shocked stare, their eyes landed on Ron, who was walking through the double doors into the Great Hall, hand-in-hand with Lavender Brown. No one said a word as the three Gryffindors watched agog as Ron and Lavender sat at the far end of the table in the same spot they occupied last night.

Hermione stared in horror as the pair pretended they were the only people in the world. It took serious effort to break her gaze and focus on her breakfast instead. do not worry about him; he's not worth any more of your tears. Just forget about him. He is Lavender's problem now. Now that they made it official, they really deserve each other, the rotten arses!

The last thing Hermione wanted to do was cry at the breakfast table on the first day of class, but it was a hard fought battle keeping the tears at bay. Staring hard at the uneaten food on her plate, she remained steadfastly silent as she wrestled her emotions under control.

Her friends were perceptive and neither of them spoke a word about Ronald Weasley for the remainder of the meal. She needed time to deal with the hurt. Seeing him constantly was hard enough, she did not want to talk to or about him until she was ready.

Sirius kept an eye on his godson and friends from the Head Table. He could not help himself as his eyes were drawn to one particular brunette. Hermione really grew into a beautiful young witch in the time he was gone. He noticed that she was particularly sad today and something in his heart pulled at the thought.

As Sirius continued to watch them, he noticed when they turned toward the entrance to the Great Hall. Following their gazes, his eyes settled upon an interesting sight. Ron Weasley and Lavender Brown, yes he was already learning students' names thanks to Filius Flitwick, were walking to the far end of the Gryffindor table, hand-in-hand. The pair of students only had eyes for each other as they ignored the surprised stares of their fellow students.

When did that happen? I thought Ron and Hermione were together, at least that's what everyone told me when I came back. But then, I guess that explains the seating arrangements at the Welcoming Feast last night.

Sirius allowed his eyes to wander back to Hermione and he watched her carefully as she stared in horror at the new couple. His heart broke at the clear devastation on her face before she turned deadened eyes down to her untouched plate of food. Even from his distance, he could clearly see the tears welling up in her eyes.

_Something happened between Ron and Hermione and it appears to have happened very recently. I have the Gryffindors in class this afternoon, maybe I will ask Hermione to stay after so we can talk._

Sirius smiled and waved down at the students as they stood to leave the Great Hall. Sirius met Hermione's gaze, holding it for what seemed like an eternity. She barely managed a pained smile before her gaze flicked to Rona and Lavender as she the Hall.

Sirius glared down at Ron on Hermione's behalf as he too left the Great Hall to prepare for his first class.

Morning classes went by quickly and before long it was lunch. Hermione opted to spend some time in the library rather than in the Great Hall. She wanted to avoid seeing Ron and Lavender acting like the perfect happy couple. After two classes with Ron, one of which Lavender was in too, Hermione's tolerance for the pair was extremely low.

_Besides, I can get a head start on that Transfiguration essay that Professor McGonagall assigned. It's never too early to start on my studies._

Hermione passed the next hour with her nose in a book and her quill scribbling away on parchment. At the end of the hour, Hermione put the final touches on the essay and packed up her things. One assignment down, she thought.

"Ooff!" Hermione gasped as her body forcefully collided with another. She looked up to see Harry. "I'm so sorry, Harry. I was not watching where I was going."

"No matter, 'Mione," Harry laughed, rubbing his shoulder where Hermione collided with him. "I was just coming to check on you and make sure you know we have Potions now."

"Right, well lets get going then," Hermione replied, tugging her bag higher up on her shoulder.

Once they reached the door to the Potions classroom, Harry reached out to grasp his friend's hand. "Ron didn't sign up for Potions this term," he whispered encouragingly, giving Hermione's hand a quick squeeze. Knowing how hard Snape was on them to begin with, Harry figured Hermione would feel less stressed with that information.

Hermione nodded in response, already feeling happier as they entered the classroom of one of her most challenging classes. Taking a seat near the rear of the classroom, Professor Snape sidled in moments later and slammed the door.

Professor Snape stalked to the front of the classroom, his robes billowing around him. When he reached his desk, the dour man glared at the twelve students staring up at him. NEWT level Potions was a small class made up of students from all four houses, though most of the students were Ravenclaws.

"I see that I was able to discourage most of the dunderheads from continuing this line of study in the NEWT level," Professor Snape snapped. "Though, how some of you" - he glared straight at Harry - " were able to get this far in Potions at all is, frankly, amazing. I guess it pays to have know-it-all friends."

Hermione and Harry both tensed at the Professor's demeaning words, but neither of them made a move to say anything. They knew all to well how that would only make things worse. Professor Snape lectured the class on his expectations for the term before breaking the news that the students were being put into pair chosen by him. The entire class groaned, even the normally stoic Ravenclaws. All groans were swiftly silenced by the a glare from Professor Snape.

"Miss Granger, you will be partnered with Mister Malfoy," Professor Snape said with a sneer. "Perhaps you will learn something from Mister Malfoy."

Hermione knew it was too much to ask to be partnered with Harry, especially since it was Professor Snape's class. But at least Draco was a worthy partner and they already knew they worked well together. Hermione rolled her eyes at Professor Snape's comment as she gathered her belongings and moved to the front of the class to Draco's table. As she settled into her new seat, she smiled as Harry was paired with Padma Patil.

"Oh great, I get partnered with the Weasel's leftovers," Draco said with a smirk as he gently bumped Hermione's shoulder.

"Oh hush, dragon breath," Hermione whispered playfully. She knew Draco was joking in a poor attempt to cheer her up, but she could hardly help the flash of hurt at the truth of his words. She was Ron's leftovers, who would want her now.

Thankfully, all thoughts of Ron were pushed from her head as Professor Snape gave them the first assignment of the year, the Hate Potion. It was a fairly difficult, time-consuming potion and it required her full concentration.

"Let us see who completed their summer assignments, shall we?" Professor Snape sneered at the class. "What is the function of the Hate Potion?"

Hermione refrained from raising her hand even thought she knew the answer, knowing that Professor Snape would not call on her if she did. She hoped that some other people in the class had their hands raised - there were several Ravenclaws in the class, after all. Upon looking around, she noted that at least five people had their hands up ready to earn a house point or derision, whichever the professor felt like giving for the correct answer. Naturally, Hermione was startled when Professor Snape called on her.

"Miss Granger, please enlighten the class to the function of the Hate Potion, or did you not read the entire potions text this summer?" The Professor stared blankly at her with one brow quirked, waiting for Hermione to try to prove her brilliance.

Hermione was used to the Professor's antics and she was not intimidated in the least. "The Hate Potion, sir, reveals the target person's worst faults and habits to the drinker."

"Indeed. Thank you for the textbook definition, Miss Granger. It goes without saying that no one needs to drink this potion to see your worst faults and habits." With a flick of his shoulders, the Professor spun around in a big show of snapping robes as he stalked back to his podium. "You have until the end of class to complete your potion as a team."

Hermione was shaking with the urge to hex her snarky Professor. She had to bite her bottom lip to keep from snapping back at the insufferable git. The knowledge that any retort or retaliation would result in months of detention and gobs of lost house points, Hermione steeled her nerves and focused on the task at hand.

As she and Draco worked diligently, Hermione wondered why Professor Snape would assign that particular potion - it was definitely not a NEWT-level potion and he was by no means the type of professor to take it easy on the first day of class. He had to have some type of ulterior motive, Hermione was certain of it. After his snide remarks thus far in the lesson, Hermione had no doubt in her mind that part of his motive was to humiliate and belittle both Harry and herself.

The man was a Slytherin to the core, after all. Of course he would take advantage of or create, as the case may be, any opportunity to mentally torture his least favourite students. The Hate Potion was a wonderful opportunity. No matter how much she hoped she was wrong, Hermione could not help the sense of foreboding she had that Professor Snape had something sneaky up his sleeve.

The brewing process went quickly since they were in teams. Once a sample from each team's potion was handed in, Professor Snape informed the class that they would be testing the potion on their team mates next week.

With that statement, Hermione's heart dropped -_ just what I need, more public humiliation and emotional stress. Thank you, Professor Snape, you are a royal prat_.

As Hermione and Harry made their way to the Defence Against the Dark Arts classroom, Harry told her to ignore the greasy bat.

"He only says those thing to get a reaction from you. You taught me that. He probably gets off on being a bastard to everyone but his precious pet Slytherins." Harry made a disgusted face causing Hermione to laugh hysterically.

Knowing that she would dwell on it all day if she did not force herself to stop thinking about it, and that it was best not to tell Harry what she thought of Professor Snape's motives behind the potion, Hermione changed the subject.

"Sirius is going to be an awesome professor, isn't he?" Hermione asked Harry.

"I think he will be just as great as Remus was, maybe even better," Harry replied, excited to have class with his godfather.

They entered the classroom and sat in the front row, wanting to be a clear show of support for Sirius. Ron entered the room not long after Harry and Hermione too their seats and looked around the room unsure where to sit. He walked stone faced toward an empty table a few rows back from his friend and former girlfriend and slumped down in the chair.

Harry glanced back at his friend before turning to Hermione with a quirked brow. Without Harry saying a word, Hermione knew the question he was asking. Would it be okay if Ron sat with them, just like old times?

I guess I have to start getting over it some time. I was always taught to be the bigger person, right? Plus, I do not have to actually sit next to him; Harry can sit in the middle and I can ignore him if I so choose.

Hermione looked at Ron before nodding her consent to Harry. He flashed Hermione an understanding smile before motioning for Ron to join them. Sirius entered the classroom from his office as Ron took his seat next to Harry.

Sirius eyed the trio as he made his way to his desk. He noticed that separated Hermione and Ron and even the furtive glances Ron was sending Hermione. Sirius was pleased to see that Hermione ignored the redhead. Good on you, Hermione. Make the bloke suffer.

"Welcome to Defence Against the Dark Arts. In case you haven't noticed, I am Sirius Black, the once renowned Prisoner of Azkaban, and I will be your new professor," Sirius introduced himself to the class as he moved to stand in front of his desk.

"Well will be learning many interesting and challenging things this term and I hope that you are all up to the task. I figured that today would be a review of your dueling skills before we start with new lessons in the upcoming classes. You will work in groups of two and I will let you pick your own partners. We will review some of the skills you should know by this point and assess your abilities."

Sirius watched as the students picked their partners. Watching the trio, he noticed the look pass between Harry and Hermione. It seemed that Harry was unsure whether to partner with Ron or Hermione. Hermione, the mature witch that she was, waved Harry off as she looked around the room for a different partner. Her shoulders sagged as she noticed that everyone was already paired off. How come her classes always seemed to have an odd number of students for these activities?

Upon seeing Hermione's distress, Sirius walked over to the witch. "I will be your partner, 'Mione," he whispered, not wanting to draw undue attention to her situation.

Smiling up at her now favourite professor, Hermione blushed. "Thank you, Siri-, er, I mean Professor Black."

Laughing, Sirius replied, "It's okay to call me Sirius right now, just not when we're in a regular classroom situation, or in front of the other Professors."

Hermione nodded her understanding and Sirius turned his attention to the various pairs of students waiting for his instructions.

"I want you to practice all the defensive and offensive spells that you learned in this class in the past six years, other than the Unforgivables, of course," Sirius explained. "For this first session, I want you to let your partner know what spell you are going to use so that they can defend themselves properly. You may begin."

Sirius observed the Gryffindors as they started slinging spells at each other before turning back to Hermione.

"Okay, 'Mione, are you ready?"

Nodding, Hermione waited for him to say what spell he planned to use.

"I'm going to start slow and work my way up to the difficult spells. I'll start with expelliarmus," Sirius said. A moment later, he sent the disarming spell toward Hermione, which she deflected easily. After she managed to deflect the next ten spells without breaking a sweat, Sirius switched places with her and he deflected her spells.

"Great job, 'Mione!" Sirius congratulated her, though he was not surprised at her high skill level. "Let's take a break while I walk around and observe the other students' progress."

"Thank you, Sirius. I can help you if you want," she replied shyly.

Smiling at her sudden shyness, Sirius nodded. She is very cute when playing shy.

The rest of the Defence class passed quickly as Hermione and Sirius observed the other students, both providing guidance when needed.

"Alright, you all did a great job today. Next class, we will have another dueling competition, only it will be one team at a time. See you all next time," Sirius said moments before the bell rang.

Hermione and Harry hung back as the rest of the students exited the classroom. Ron eyed them sadly, wanting to be part of the trio and Hermione nodded to him before Harry even noticed. The redhead smiled gratefully at his ex-girlfriend as he moved to stand with them.

"I'll forgive you one day, maybe, but you are still Harry's friend and you should not be left out of things," Hermione whispered to him as he passed, clearing the air to let him know that she was not heartless.

"How did I do?" Sirius asked them.

"You did great!" Harry and Ron exclaimed at the same time as Hermione nodded her agreement. The four of them chatted like old times before Harry and Ron had to leave for a Quidditch schedule meeting.

"I'm so glad that you are back, Sirius, and I'm really excited that you are our professor," Hermione admitted happily as she stayed back to continue her conversation with Sirius.

"Thanks, I am happy to be back, too. Believe me."

They talked about class for a few minutes before Sirius found the courage to ask Hermione about Ron. She told him how she discovered Ron and Lavender snogging on the train and how she found out that Harry and Ginny already knew but never said anything to her. By the end of Hermione's story, Sirius was livid. He was highly disappointed in his godson for not informing one of his best friend's about something like that.

How could Harry let that happen to one of his best friends, even if it was his other best friend actually causing the harm? He should have tried to stop Ron or at least let Hermione know what she was dealing with, he thought angrily. Not to mention Ron's behaviour, in and of itself. What the hell was that boy thinking? Obviously he wasn't thinking at all since he just gave up the best thing that ever happened to him.

Hermione noticed the look of complete anger on Sirius' face and wondered if, perhaps, she should not have mentioned the situation with Ron.

"How could he have done that to you, 'Mione? Didn't he realize that you were the best thing that ever happened to me—" Sirius winced inwardly at his slip and coughed hoping to cover himself – "I mean, him, the best thing that could have happened to him?"

Hermione was not even listening to Sirius, so he needn't have worried about her picking up on his slip of the tongue. Instead, she was busy watching his lips as he spoke. It was only when those luscious lips stopped moving that she realized she never heard a word that he said.

Looking at him blankly, Hermione was confused by her sudden interest in his lips and the feelings they incited within her. Forcefully shaking her head, Hermione tried to clear the lustful fog from her mind.

"How were you able to come back from beyond the veil, Sirius?" Hermione asked suddenly. There was nothing like changing the subject when things became a bit uncomfortable.

Sirius tried to assess what he saw in her eyes before he answered her question. Did she not catch my slip up or did she just choose to ignore it? The blank look of confusion he saw moments ago transformed into a look of unadulterated curiosity and thirst for knowledge. He found it very appealing and wanted to keep that look on her face for as long as possible. He found himself not caring any more is she heard him earlier or not.

Sirius told her how Dumbledore and Remus had worked for months on something that Remus found in an old dark arts book. Apparently, there was an ancient ritual that had been designed to get people back from the veil that was never perfected. He told her how hard Dumbledore worked to perfect the ritual while Remus went about getting all of the 'supplies' necessary to complete the ritual, including the blood of the ones that Sirius loved. The two wizards worked together for six months before they were ready to give the ritual a try and another three months before the ritual actually worked.

Hermione was enthralled with what Sirius was telling her. Her mind soaked up every bit of information it could as Sirius shared his tale.

"So, after all that work, they realized that the key to the success of the ritual was in the blood of the ones you loved? I guess that's the dark arts for you – always something involving blood," Hermione said, remembering Harry's experience that night in the graveyard with Voldemort back in their fourth year.

Sirius nodded at Hermione's statement. He did not want to tell her about the blood being the determining factor in the success of the ritual, but he figured that she would somehow find out anyway. He tried to tell himself that it did not matter if she knew, just as long as she did not ask whose blood proved successful. He could not bear to tell her that, not yet, and maybe not ever.

* * *

As Hermione made her way down to the Great Hall, a myriad of thoughts and emotions ran through her mind.

She was ecstatic that Sirius was back from the veil and now teaching at Hogwarts. After so long, he finally had his life back. She was amazed and quite intrigued with all the work that Remus and Headmaster Dumbledore completed to bring him back. She was confused about her feelings for Sirius and how they seemed to be growing beyond her control. And she was still hurt and betrayed over Ron.

All of it was becoming too much for her at the moment. She merely wanted to be able to think about schoolwork and only schoolwork for a while. All these other things were too distracting, not to mention confusing.

She tried to clear her mind as she entered the Great Hall and made her way to the Gryffindor table. It seemed to work for a few brief moments until she settled down in her seat and caught a glimpse of Ron sitting with Lavender.

She forced her eyes away from the two blissfully happy love-birds and turned to Ginny, who was sitting next to her. The two girls discussed their first day of classes until the food appeared on the platters in front of them.

Hermione loaded her plate with some of the delicious looking food and immediately began to dig in. I guess skipping lunch was not the brightest idea, as I am completely famished right now.

Hermione felt eyes on her and glanced up from her dinner. She caught Sirius' gaze and held it for a few seconds before smiling briefly.

That brief glance caused her mind to wander back to their conversation about the veil. She thought about the key to it all being the blood of the ones Sirius love. Something seemed kind of funny about that and as she thought it over, it finally came to her.

He said that it was the blood of the 'ones' he loved, meaning more than just one person's blood.

She continued to think about it as dinner ended and everyone left the Great Hall. On the walk back to her room, she tried to name all the people she thought were definitely on the list of people Sirius loved.

_There's Harry and Remus, obviously. And Tonks, she's his family, as well as her parents. But who else does he love? It has to be more than just those few, because the Headmaster and Remus must have tried them first. The only other ones that I can think that he loved are long since dead… Who else could it be?_


	6. Ch 6 Hermione Missed the Train

**Chapter Six:**

**Hermione Missed the Hogwarts Express**

_Last Time: Ron was his best friend, but he could be a royal jerk sometimes. He just found out that his girlfriend had a rather traumatic day and was laid up in the Hospital Wing, and there he was, hiding in a dark corner snogging another girl. He is a right prat. He doesn't deserve Hermione. If he keeps this up, I'm going to say something to about it._

* * *

Hermione woke up the next day feeling groggy from all of the healing and dreamless sleep potions she ingested in the past 24 hours. She vaguely recalled a dream that she had – though how she could have a dream when had been fed several doses of dreamless sleep potion, she did not know.

She dreamt that Sirius came back from the dead and visited her bedside last night. He even told her that he would be teaching Defence Against the Dark Arts this year. Why she dreamt that, she did not know. It was totally random and her mind blamed it on the overwhelming amount of potions she consumed in her treatments.

Before she could think on it too much, Madam Pomfrey announced that she had a visitor. Hermione slowly sat up and leant back on her pillows as her visitor stepped through the curtains surrounding her bed.

"Good morning, Headmaster," Hermione greeted her visitor with a tired smile, noting the distinct lack of a twinkle in the old man's eyes.

"Good morning, Miss Granger," Albus Dumbledore replied. "I trust you are feeling better today?"

Hermione nodded. "I am feeling much better, thank you, except that I dreamt that Sirius Black returned from the dead.

The Headmaster eyed her curiously as he conjured himself a comfortable chair. "I am here to make you aware of the decision that Professor McGonagall and I came to after yesterday's events," he said softly.

Hermione stared at the Headmaster while waiting for him to continue, dreading what he was about to say. Please do not take the Head Girl position away! She kept repeating the thought in her mind, hoping against hope that was not why Headmaster Dumbledore was there at the moment.

"I am sorry to say that both Professor McGonagall and I think that the Head Girl position would be far too stressful for you at the given time."

Her face fell as her worst thoughts came true. "I can handle the stress, Headmaster. I have worked so hard for that position for the past six years. You can not just take it away from me now!"

"It is for the best, I'm afraid. You are more of a target now than you ever were before. Escaping the Death Eaters was a great thing, but it puts you in great danger as well. They will seek retribution for your timely escape," Albus Dumbledore explained, his blue eyes boring into Hermione's gaze to make sure she understood the importance of their worries.

Hermione nodded numbly. There was no use arguing with the Headmaster of Hogwarts on such a matter. Albus Dumbledore always knew best.

Patting her shoulder, the Headmaster stood and banished the chair he was sitting on. "You will come to see in time that our decision was for the best, Miss Granger. The Head Girl position would have been far more stressful than you realize."

Hermione tried to keep the tears at bay as Headmaster Dumbledore left. How could they take that away from me so easily after I worked so hard? Shifting down on the bed, Hermione huddled beneath the covers and let the tears fall freely. She remained like that for a long time until the gentle touch of a hand on her shoulder caused her to shrink away. She did not want to see anyone; she just wanted to be alone.

"'Mione, what's wrong?"

Hermione fought the urge to sit up at the sound of her visitor's voice. That is the voice from my dream last night… that is Sirius' voice!

"Hermione, please, tell me what's wrong," Sirius voice said, more urgently.

Hermione rolled over. She had to know who this person was with Sirius' voice. Maybe she was dreaming again? She doubted it as she clearly felt awake. Sitting up, her tear-filled eyes widened at the sight of the person before her.

Sirius! How can this be? He's supposed to be dead!

"Good morning, love," Sirius smiled brightly. He noticed her eyes widen when she saw him as well as the dried tear tracked streaked down her face.

"H-how are you h-here. I mean, what are – how did you get here?" Hermione stumbled through her questions, confusion clouding her mind. "I thought I dreamt you visited me last night, but how could that be? You're supposed to be dead."

Laughing softly, Sirius reached out and wiped a tear from her cheek. "We discussed this briefly last night, but since you think you dreamt it, I'll tell you again. Albus and Remus figured out a way to bring me back and finally succeeded a few weeks ago. Once my name was cleared, Albus asked me to do him a favour and come aboard as the new Defence professor."

Sitting up straighter, Hermione was instantly curious. "Oh, how did they do it?"

Sirius laughed again at the instant change in her emotions. Nevertheless, he told her that Remus found an ancient text which contained a ritual for bringing people back from the veil. The ritual was never perfected and Albus worked hard to perfect it while Remus gathered the necessary supplies. The supplies included the blood of the ones he loved and the two men tried for months before the ritual finally worked.

Hermione listened intently through the explanation, fighting the urge to take notes. She wanted to know more about the ritual, but she figured she would have to ask Remus and the Headmaster at some later time.

"That's great, Sirius! I am so happy you are back and that you're now our professor!" Reaching up, Hermione hugged him tight.

"Thank you, 'Mione. I'm really glad to be back. It's nice to have a real life once again," he said as he let her settled back into her pillows. "What was bothering you when I first arrived?"

Looking up at his handsome face, Hermione nearly lost herself in his grey eyes. She had to mentally shake herself before she was able to answer his question. "Professor McGonagall and the Headmaster decided that it would be for the best if my Head Girl position was revoked. They thought it would be too stressful for me given yesterday's events and the likely danger I put myself in with certain Death Eaters."

"I'm sorry, 'Mione; I know how much you wanted that position and how hard you worked for it. It's not the end of the world, though," Sirius comforted her. "Look at it this way, now you have more free time to hang out with me and help me mark the loads of essays I'm going to assign this term!"

Hermione laughed at the look on his face, like he could not understand why he planned to assign loads of homework. "Sure Sirius. I guess if I do have all this free time now, I might as well lend a hand. It's that or take up Quidditch, and we both know I hate flying."

"That's the spirit!" Sirius exclaimed, happy to have cheered the poor witch up a bit. "I have to go and you have to get a move on, it's almost time for breakfast. I'll see you later in the day, though. You do not know it yet, but you have Defence this afternoon, last class of the day."

"Thanks, Sirius, for everything. And I look forward to your class this afternoon." Leaning forward, Hermione gave him another hug, blushing crimson as he gently placed a kiss on her forehead.

Smilingly doggedly as he stood, Sirius turned on his heel and left the Hospital Wing feeling lighter than he had since he came back from the dead.

Madam Pomfrey appeared at Hermione's bedside the moment Sirius Black was gone. In her hands were fresh clothes and some Muggle toiletries. "Best get a move on, dear. A hot shower is awaiting you."

* * *

"Come on, Ron!" Ginny shouted at her brother. "We have to meet Hermione before breakfast is over!" Harry was standing next to the fiery redhead as they waited for Ron. He could not hold back a chuckle at the thought that Ginny definitely had her mother's lungs.

"Alright, alright, I'm ready," Ron said as he practically galloped down the stairs. "You can quit your screeching now."

Ginny smacked her brother on the back of his head as the group turned and rushed out of the Gryffindor common room. As they reached the Hospital Wing, Sirius exited the double doors.

"Hey there, Professor Black!" Harry called out as his godfather appeared lost in thought.

Stopping in his tracks at the sound of Harry's voice, Sirius looked up to see Harry, Ginny, and Ron walking toward him. "Hey gang, are you going to see Hermione?"

"Yes, we figured we would escort her to the Great Hall," Ron replied.

Sirius nodded as he stared down at his godson's best friend. He wanted to strangle Ron after what he saw at the Welcoming Feast the night before. That boy was messing with Hermione's heart, not to mention her head, and Sirius did not like that one bit.

"Good," Sirius replied absently as he contemplated ways to dismember the young redhead. Hermione would be so hurt if she knew what that boy was up to. He had to get away before he said something to Ron. "I just saw her and she should be ready to go in a few minutes. I have to go," Sirius said, waving as he turned and rushed down the hall.

Harry stared after his godfather thinking his behaviour was kind of odd as his friends entered the infirmary. Shrugging his shoulders, Harry followed them in to find Hermione dressed and ready to go.

"Hey 'Mione, how are you feeling?" Harry asked as he gently hugged his friend.

"Much better than I did yesterday," Hermione replied as she turned to hug Ginny.

"Hey, babe, I'm glad that you are feeling better and that nothing worse happened to you," Ron said, moving forward to place a soft kiss upon her lips. Hermione closed her eyes as she kissed her boyfriend for the first time in a few weeks and missed the look that passed between Harry and Ginny.

"Come on, we have to go if we want to have breakfast before class," Ginny said, feeling sick with guilt at the display before her. The four friends left the Hospital Wing, two of them hand-in-hand, and made their way to the Great Hall for what was left of the breakfast hour.

* * *

For Hermione, the morning went by in a flash of classes and questions on where she was yesterday. She gave her normal attention to her classes but she tried to fend off the unwanted questions with the help of her friends. She really did not want everyone knowing the lousy day she had yesterday when all she wanted was to forget.

Lunch passed quickly as she sat with her friends. The boys told her about what they did in the few weeks since they last saw each other and Hermione gave them the abridged version of her family trip and what happened yesterday.

Harry and Hermione had Potions right after lunch while Ron had a free period, so they went in their separate directions at the stairway to the Dungeons. Upon entering the Potions classroom, Harry and Hermione chose a table near the rear of the classroom and took their seats as Professor Snape slammed the door.

Professor Snape stalked to the front of the classroom, his robes billowing around him. Upon reaching his desk, he turned and glared at the twelve students staring back at him. NEWT level Potions was a small class made up of all four houses, though most students were Ravenclaws.

"I see that I was able discourage most of the dunderhead from continuing this line of study, though I am surprised to see a few faces here today." Professor Snape glared straight at Harry.

Lecturing on his expectations for the term, Professor Snape informed the class that he would break the class into pairs. Groans were swiftly silenced by a harsh glare as he started calling out names.

Both Hermione and Harry were shocked when the professor announced that they would remain partners.

"Let's see who completed their summer assignments, shall we? What is the function of the Hate Potion?" Professor Snape sneered at the class as only a few hands were raised.

Hermione kept her hands on the table before her, knowing that the professor would not call on her anyway. She wondered why Professor Snape would assign the Hate Potion as the first potion of their seventh year – was not a NEWT-level potion, after all.

"Miss Granger, please enlighten the class to the function of the Hate Potion. We all know that you already read the entire textbook."

Meeting the snarky professor's glare, Hermione was not intimidated. "The Hate Potion, sir, reveals the target person's worst faults and habits to the drinker."

Rolling his eyes, Professor Snape snapped his robes. "Thank you, Miss Granger, for the textbook definition. No one would need to drink the Hate Potion to know that you are an insufferable know-it-all," he drawled. "You have until the end of class to complete your potions."

After the day Hermione had yesterday, Professor Snape's remarks rolled right off her skin. She knew all too well that he was an intensely miserable man and that he liked to take his misery out on others. Let him have at it, she thought.

Hermione and Harry focused on the potion and were the first pair to finish. Hermione was duly impressed with Harry's increased talent in Potions and told him as much. Somehow, they managed to make it through the rest of the class without any additional scathing remarks from Professor Snape. Before handing in a phial of their completed product, Hermione filled an extra phial and covertly slipped it into her pocket.

Once every team handed in their assignment, Professor Snape announced that they would be testing the potion on their partners next week after the potion sets. Leaving the Potions classroom, Hermione and Harry sprinted up the stairs for their most anticipated class of the day.

At the main hall, they met up with Ron who was walking with Lavender Brown and the four of them walked to class together.

Hermione walked next to Ron, holding his hand as they strolled down the hallway. She was lost in thought about having the Head Girl position taken away. She hadn't mentioned anything about it to her friends yet and she wondered if she even wanted to bring it up. They would only feel sorry for her. In her musings, Hermione missed the furtive glances that Ron and Lavender shared.

Harry, on the other hand, noticed every single glance shared between the two and sent a few of his own glares at Ron, which were ignored. He was extremely unimpressed with Ron's behaviour, especially now when he was being so blatant in his deception. Not wanting to upset and embarrass Hermione right before class, Harry held his tongue.

As the group entered the Defence classroom, Lavender broke away to sit with her friend Parvati Patil while the trio found seats at the front of the classroom. Sirius was already standing in front of his desk and smiled indulgently at the three of them.

"Welcome to Defence Against the Dark Arts. I am Sirius Black and I am your new professor. We will learn many interesting and challenging things this term and I hope that you are all up to the task."

Sirius walked around the room as he spoke. "Today, we will begin a review of your dueling skills. You will work in groups of two and I will let you pick your own partners."

Excited, the student immediately began to separate into pairs. Sirius observed as Harry and Hermione had a silent discussion on who would be Ron's partner. Sirius silently wished that Harry would partner with Ron. Knowing that there were an odd number of students in the class, Sirius wanted to separate Hermione from Ron and work with her himself.

His hopes were dashed as Harry graciously let Hermione partner with her boyfriend. As Harry looked around for an available partner, Sirius stepped up to him. "There are an odd number of students, Harry. You can work with me and help me assess the other students' abilities."

Nodding, Harry grinned at the chance to work so closely with his godfather.

"I want you to practice all of the defensive and offensive spells that you have learned in previous years in this class. It goes without saying that I want you to leave out the Unforgiveables," Sirius explained. "For this first session, I want you to let your partner know what spell you are going to use so that they can defend themselves properly. You may begin."

Sirius watched as the students started slinging and deflecting spells before he went on to duel with his godson. He and Harry dueled like professionals for a few moments until it was time for them to observe the other students. Noting that the students appeared to be doing well, Sirius turned his back for a split second when a scream reverberated through the room.

Running toward the source of the scream, Sirius found Hermione lying on the floor, unconscious and bleeding. Panicking, he turned furious eyes on her partner, Ronald Weasley.

"What the bloody hell happened?" Sirius hissed through gritted teeth.

"I do not know," Ron stammered. "I just forgot what spell I said I was going to use and I must have cast a different one. She wasn't ready."

"The rules of the lesson were simple, Ron. The fact that you could not follow them says a lot about you," Harry murmured to his friend as Sirius assessed Hermione's condition.

"Oh, stuff it, Harry!" Ron blurted, his cheeks bright red.

"Detention, Mister Weasley. For a week, with Filch," Sirius snapped, feeling more enraged when the redhead merely gaped at him. "You can not follow simple instructions and injured a student with your stupidity. Be thankful it's not a month, or worse."

Scooping up the unconscious witch, Sirius made haste toward the door. Without a backward glance, he called out, "Class dismissed!"

Sirius sprinted through the halls and up the stairs to the Hospital Wing as fast as wizardly possible. Bursting through the double doors, breathless and sweaty, Sirius shouted for the mediwitch.

"Sirius Black! What in Merlin's name is all that shouting about? Oh!" Madam Pomfrey exclaimed as she approached Sirius. Noticing the unconscious form he was placing on an unoccupied cot, she immediately set to work. "Oh, dear child. Tell me what happened and this best not be your doing!"

"She was caught unaware during a mock duel by a moronic student who is incapable of following simple instructions," Sirius explained bitterly. Reaching out to gently brush curls from her face, his voice became softer. "She was in my class when the incident occurred, so I guess I deserve partial blame."

"Shoo, now. None of that self deprecation when there is work to do," Madam Pomfrey said as she magicked a curtain around Hermione's bed and continued her work.

"I will inform the Headmaster of the incident and be back to check on her after dinner," Sirius called from the door. "Please let me know if anything changes."

Fleeing the Hospital Wing, Sirius thought of the many curses he would like to cast at Ronald Weasley. The boy was a menace in more ways than one. It was not enough that the boy was cheating on her, poised to break her fragile heart into a million little pieces, but now he had to physically hurt her as well. Dumbledore was about to get an earful from Sirius regarding that boy.

After informing the Headmaster and grabbing a quick bite to eat at dinner, Sirius went straight back to the Hospital Wing. He sat with the still unconscious witch all night, despite Madam Pomfrey's assurances that she would be fine by morning. Sirius felt personally responsible for Hermione and he did not want her to spend yet another night in the infirmary alone.

The long night of self inflicted guard duty left him too much time to think, but he did not care. He was desperate to assure himself that Hermione was okay and the only way to do that was to be there when she awoke.


	7. Ch 7 Hermione Caught the Train

**Chapter 7:**

_Hermione Caught the Hogwarts Express_

_Last Time: She continued to think about it as dinner ended and everyone left the Great Hall. On the walk back to her room, she tried to name all the people she thought were definitely on the list of people Sirius loved. There's Harry and Remus, obviously. And Tonks, she's his family, as well as her parents. But who else does he love? It has to be more than just those few, because the Headmaster and Remus must have tried them first. The only other ones that I can think that he loved are long since dead… Who else could it be?_

* * *

The first week of classes passed quickly and relatively stress-free. Hermione was grateful that she signed up for most of the useful NEWT level classes and that she only shared three of them with Ron. The less time she spent in the presence of him and his new girlfriend, the better.

Early on Saturday morning, Hermione felt like taking a refreshing stroll on the grounds, hoping the fresh air would clear her mind. As she made her way out of the castle and down toward the Black Lake, Hermione let her mind wander. It was only a week since she caught Ron in the act and she could not believe how much it hurt to catch him like that. Nor could she believe that he would do that to her, after all their years of friendship and all that they had been through in that time. Six years of friendship down the drain all because he wanted a piece of tail.

Thank Merlin I did not give in to all his pressure to shag, Hermione thought. She felt like a right mug for never realising what was going on right behind her hack. The fact that her other two best friends knew and never said a single word about it only fueled that horrible feeling. _I wonder how many other people knew what was going on. How many other people laughed at me for being so naive or felt bad for me because of what Ron was doing_?

Hermione walked all of the way around the lake without realising it, she was so lost in thought. Coming upon a boulder on the lake shore, she decided to sit and rest for a while. She watched the Giant Squid splash about in the black water as she disappeared into her thoughts again.

_Perhaps I should be thankful that it happened now and not a year from now, or worse, after we were married or something. At least we did not have a whole lot invested in the relationship at this point, but it still hurts terribly. To think, I probably would have married him at some point along the line, but I am so thankful that I got to see his true colors before that ever happened_.

"Oh well, he is Lavender Brown's problem now," Hermione whispered aloud. "I just hope that Ron doesn't do the same thing to her that he did with her. I may not like the girl, but no one deserve to be treated like that."

The sound of a dog barking startled Hermione. Looking around, she figured it was just Fang out and about with Hagrid. Instead, she was surprised to spot a large black dog happily chasing leaves being blown around in the wind. It took her a moment or two to realize the black dog was Sirius in his animagus form. Smiling at the idea of the handsome wizard chasing leaves with his tongue lolling out of his mouth, Hermione watched as the dog approached her.

Even though she knew it was coming, Hermione shrieked when the large black dog pounced on her and started licking her face. Laughing, she tried to struggle away from the dog's slobbery kisses. She was still laughing as the black dog morphed into a human. Hermione gazed into those familiar grey eyes and blushed as she noticed that Sirius was laying on top of her. Sirius sprung away from her when realisation dawned on him as well, and they both scrambled to their feet.

Running a hand through his hair ash he chuckled nervously, Sirius said, "Sorry about that, 'Mione."

Hermione laughed softly as she moved to sit on the boulder once again. "It's okay, Sirius."

Sirius sat down next to her and they both gazed at the lake. Neither knew what to say, but they were content to sit in a comfortable silence until something came to one of them. Sirius started to feel uncomfortable with the silence first and decided to say the first thing that came to his mind.

"How was your first week of classes?" Sirius immediately wanted to smack himself in the head. _That was the best you could come up with? Asking her about her first week of classes? You ought to have just asked about the weather or the price of petrol. You really have lost your touch, Sirius Black_, he silently chastised himself.

Hermione smiled indulgently at Sirius' attempt at conversation. "It was alright. My classes seem like they will be challenging enough and I only have a few classes with Ron, which I am very happy about."

* * *

Sirius winced at the mention of Ron, but he was glad that she only had a few classes with the prat. He knew that keeping some distance between the two of them would help Hermione to heal faster.

"How are you handling things with Ron, then?" Sirius asked, unable to stop himself. He needed her to tell him that she was okay or that she would be okay with time.

Hermione looked down at her hands in her lap. She really did not want to talk about Ron, but at the same time she did. She knew that Sirius would listen to anything she wanted to say, but she also knew that he would have a hard time controlling his anger towards her ex-boyfriend.

"I do not know. I am trying to handle things the best I can, but it just hurts so much to know that he would do that to me - one of his best friends. And to catch him in the act… that was the worst. But I am glad that I did catch him, because no one else was going to tell me. I feel like such a fool, like everyone knew but me, when in reality I should have been the first to know." Hermione shook her head, trying to fight back the tears pooling in her eyes.

Sirius felt for the young witch. He could only imagine how much that must hurt… in fact, he had a pretty good idea of the pain she was experiencing, since he caused that kind of pain to many a school girl back in his time as a student at Hogwarts. He never cared much for their feelings back then… but now, now he knew how they must have hurt, and he was not at all proud of his former behaviour.

Wrapping a strong arm around Hermione's shoulder, he comforted her the best he could. He hugged her tight to his side and cursed himself for bringing the subject up to begin. He knew that she needed to express herself, to get the negative emotions out in order to heal. If she trusted him enough to confide in him, that was perfect. He would be there whenever she needed or wanted.

The pair was silent for a long time, comforted by each other's presence. Words were unnecessary for a long time. Minutes or hours later, the sounds of raucous laughter traveled down the lake. Knowing that other students were out on the grounds, Sirius dropped his arm from Hermione's shoulder and stood.

"Would you like to take a walk with me?" Sirius asked, offering Hermione his hand.

Looking up at him with doe eyes, she smiled. "Sure," Hermione replied, taking his hand. He graciously helped her stand before dropping her hand against his true desire. With other students about, it was best not to raise suspicions. It would cause unnecessary trouble for them both.

They walked around the grounds to the Whomping Willow. Their conversation was friendly and flowed easily as they strolled along. Seeing the Whomping Willow, Hermione was reminded of her third year when Sirius tackled Ron in his animagus form and dragged him under the tree. The thought that maybe Sirius could do that to Ron again caused her to laugh aloud.

"What's so funny?" Sirius asked, caught up in her contagious laughter. It was great to see her laughing like that.

Once she controlled her laughter, Hermione answered his question. "I was just thinking about my third year when you tackled Ron in your animagus form and I thought that it would be hilarious if you could do that again."

Understanding the source of her hystercial laughter caused Sirius to chuckle freely. "I would love to, believe me. But I do not think Dumbledore or the school Governors would appreciate the humour."

Hermione continued to laugh as they walked along. Stopping suddenly, Hermione stared at Sirius, who walked a few steps ahead before realizing that she stopped. He turned back, quirking his eyebrow curiously. After several moments, Hermione spoke.

"Sirius, would you help me learn how to become an animagus?"

He considered her question carefully, since it was unexpected. It would be hard work and time consuming, but the end result would be another animagus to run around with. Plus the added benefit of spending time with such a vivacious young witch, how could he say no?

"Of course, anything for you, love," Sirius answered. "It will not be easy and it will take a long time, as long as you are okay with that."

Smiling broadly, Hermione flung herself at him. Pulling him into a warm hug, she placed a chaste kiss on his cheek before stepping back for propriety's sake. "Thank you, Sirius! Can we get started today?"

Sirius let out one of his notorious bark-like laughs and shook his head. "Always so bloody eager. We can start today, as long as you help me mark essays at some point before Monday morning."

"Deal," Hermione agreed. So excited to start a new challenge, she dragged him back to the castle straight away.

A few hours later, Hermione was sitting on the settee in Sirius' office with a rather tall stack of books on the floor next to her. She was reading through "How to Find Your Inner Animal - Learning to Become an Animagus" while feverishly jotting down notes on a roll of parchment.

She had only been at it for a little more than an hour and already she learnt loads. Together, she and Sirius probably checked out every book on the subject from the Hogwarts library. Sirius was not lying when he told her it would be a lot of work. Learning the theory alone would take weeks. Hermione was dedicated and looked forward to the challenge, though, setting right to work on her research.

Sitting at his desk, Sirius marked essays as he surreptitiously watched Hermione. He would mark an essay, set it in the finished pile, and watch Hermione for a few moments before starting the process over with the next essay. It definitely lengthened the time it took for him to do his marking, but it also made the marking more tolerable for him. In his mind, watching Hermione for those few moments in between essays was like his reward.

He watched as she scribbled another note on her parchment, brow furrowed in concentration and teeth biting her bottom lip. She looked quite striking when she was absorbed in her work like that. Sirius was in a trance watching her teeth nibble at that full lip, wishing it was his teeth doing the nibbling. He never noticed she stared right back at him until she spoke.

"You alright, Sirius?" Hermione asked. He was staring at her intently but she had no idea why. It was not making her uncomfortable though, she noted, but her curiosity got the better of her and she wanted to know what he was thinking.

Sirius blushed at being caught staring at the young witch. Smoot, Padfoot, real smooth, a voice that sounded uncannily similar to Remus Lupin spoke in his mind. Shaking his head, Sirius cleared his dazed mind before answering Hermione.

"I'm okay, just in a daze," he replied and quickly changed the subject. "How is the research going?"

"It's going really well. There is so much to learn, how were you able to learn all of this in your spare time in your fifth year?"

Sirius chuckled at the wonder in her voice. "We were determined, so the hard work didn't bother us. But there is definitely a lot to learn. Once you learn as much as you can theoretically, we will begin the practical part of the process, which is truly the hardest part."

Hermione nodded as they both set back to the work before them. The rest of the afternoon passes in much the same manner – both of them concentrating on their work while taking the occasional break to chat about something.

It was last in the evening by the time Hermione left Sirius' office. She left all of her notes and books stacked neatly in his office with the plan that she would be back the next day to further her research. They both decided that it would be best to leave everything in his office so that no one would know what Hermione was researching. Not that she did not want anyone to know, mind. She did not want to have to explain why she was learning. It was no one's business, after all.

Besides, she wanted to keep it quiet so that she would not have to register with the Ministry of Magic. It might come in handy at some point during the war, so she did not want her Animagus form, whatever it may be, to be public knowledge.

Hermione's journey back to her and Draco's common room was relatively uneventful. She only encountered Peeves once and managed to escape from his latest prank unscathed. It was only when she reached the portrait leading to the Head common room that she faced a challenge.

Standing right in front of the portrait were the last two people Hermione felt like seeing. Ron and Lavender were blocking the entrance while snogging like it was the end of the world. There was no way to get around them to the portrait without either asking them to move or forcefully shoving them out of the way. Talking to them, even just to say 'move, please', was the very last thing she wanted to do.

And what in bleeding hell were they doing standing in front of the entrance to my room – the Head Girl and Boy's room! – snogging like the bleeding world was ending? Is it not bad enough that I caught Ron doing the same damn thing with her almost exactly one week ago, now they have to kick me in the gut when I'm already down by throwing it back in my face, right in front of the only refuge I have in this castle?

Hermione's thoughts were raging as the hot tears flooded her eyes. Being forced to watch her recent ex-boyfriend and the biggest tart in the whole school snog was an unnecessary torture. It was a definite stab right to her heart and there was nothing she could do about it – well, that was not entirely true. She could holler at them and take a bunch of House points off of them, but that would require her to actually speak to them, and with at least a modicum of professionalism, no less. She knew in her heart and her head that was impossible at the moment.

On the brink of ceding defeat and walking away to somewhere like the library – her only other refuge in the school – Hermione heard someone approaching. Someone is coming. Please, please Merlin, let it be a Professor – any Professor would do, even, or especially, Professor Snape.

Ron and Lavender were too busy to notice, so it was rather amusing for Hermione when the approaching figure rounded the corner and marched straight up to the heatedly snogging couple. The corridor was dark and the figure stayed in the shadows until reaching the couple. Hermione was shocked to see that it was Sirius who stopped right next to Ron, his face set with contained fury. Hermione did not envy Ron or Lavender at the moment. Not that she envied them on a normal basis, anyway.

"One hundred point, each, from Gryffindor," Sirius boomed, causing Ron and Lavender to spring apart at the sound of his voice. "And one week of detention for making out in the corridor. And let's add another week for being out of your dormitories after curfew."

Sirius was nearly growling as he glared down at the two students. "I am extremely disappointed in the way you have been conducting yourself lately, Ronald Weasley. You can be sure that your mother will be hearing from me since you seem incapable of not conducting yourself in this manner. Next time, find a better place to snog."

Ron's ears went as red as his hair at the mention of his mother hearing from Sirius. "Er, yes, Sirius, I…"

"It's Professor Black, Mister Weasley, remember that. Now get back to your common room."

Ron grabbed Lavender's hand and yanked her down the corridor in his rush to put as much distance between them and Sirius. Hermione, who sunk back into the shadows when Sirius began his shouting, stepped into the light of the hallway and faced Sirius.

"Thank you for that," she whispered, wiping the stray tears from her face.

How many times is Ron going to hurt her like that? Sirius wondered. Stepping closer to the young witch, he pulled her into a comforting hug. "Only Merlin knows why they chose to stand here to snog, of all places in the castle, but they are gone now. I'm just sorry that you were forced to witness that. I know it hurts, love."

Hermione felt the tears build up again and she clung to Sirius for a long time. Once she calmed down and the tears subsided, Hermione stepped back from his embrace and smiled sadly. With a nod of thanks, she whispered her password and slipped passed the portrait, leaving Sirius staring after her.


	8. Ch 8 Hermione Missed the Train

**Chapter Eight:**

**Hermione Missed the Hogwarts Express**

_Last Time: Sirius sat with the unconscious girl for the rest of the night, even though Poppy tried to assure him that Hermione would be fine if he left her. He felt horrible for what happened and did not want her to spend another night alone in the Hospital Wing._

* * *

Hermione cracked one eye open only to be blinded by the sun reflecting off bright white walls. She had only been awake – er, conscious – for a few minutes and already her head felt like it would explode from the pounding pressure. That sliver of bright light through her barely opened eye did nothing to ease the pain. In fact, it intensified the pain hundred-fold.

What the bloody hell happened that caused my head to hurt like this? She wondered as she kept her eyes scrunched tightly closed. She could not even bear the faint light that made it passed her closed eyelids at that point.

Slowly moving her right arm – which ached terribly, as well – Hermione shielded her face. As she did, she mulled over the last things she remembered, trying to recall what happened to land her in the Hospital Wing for the second time in nearly as many days.

There was Potions class – hmm, I have to remember what I did with that phial of potion that I 'borrowed' – then, we had Defence class with Sirius. What did we do in his class? Dueling. We were practicing dueling, that's right. And I was partnered with… Ron. Ronald Weasley, that stupid prat! He told me that he was going to cast expelliarmus only to really cast something else, something that I did not catch. All I know is it definitely was not expelliarmus. And, that is the last thing I remember.

He landed me in the Hospital Wing on the first day of classes. Bloody perfect. This is not a good indication of what the rest of this year is going to be like. Fecking Ron.

Hermione tried to groan but it came out as a funny sounding gurgle-choke mix. She obviously needed some water before any additional vocal attempts were made. She slowly tried to sit up a little only to realize that he entire body hurt as if she was run over by a stampede of hungry Thestrals. Again, the gurgle-choke sound emerged from her dry throat as she tried to groan from the pain, and, after a moment, she heard the distinct rustle of movement from right next to her.

Her eyes were still closed as it was too bright to even attempt opening them again, so she started when she heard a hoarse whisper come from the source of the movement next to her.

"Are you okay, 'Mione?" She vaguely recognized the whisper and convinced herself not to be concerned.

She wanted to reply but she knew her voice was not working properly. Instead, she reached out with her left hand toward the place where the voice came from. She immediately felt a slightly rough hand grasp hers and squeeze.

"You're awake. Thank Circe, you're awake." The voice was more than a whisper now, yet still rough with sleep. Hermione would know that voice anywhere – even though she thought she dreamt hearing it the other it. It was Sirius' voice.

She squeezed his hand in reply to his statement. She really wanted a glass of water and a very strong headache relief potion, but she did not know how to convey that to the man sitting next to her. Luckily, Sirius was a perceptive man. He conjured a goblet full of water and gently held it to her lips as Hermione gulped the refreshing liquid down. After downing half of the water in the goblet, Hermione was able to clear her throat enough to speak hoarsely.

"Thank you, Sirius," Hermione rasped, smiling up at the handsome man before her. She was not sure why he was there with her, but she was grateful all the same.

She watched wide-eyed as Sirius reached forward and gently brushed a lock of hair out of her face. He gave her a sad smile as he sat back in his chair. "How do you feel? Do you need anything?" His posture was relaxed and lazy but his voice was full of worry.

"I… my head is killing me and my body aches, other than that, I am fine. Can you ask Madam Pomfrey for a headache relief potion or something, please?"

Sirius looked stunned for a moment before he shot out of his chair and hastily fetched Madam Pomfrey. Hermione let out a quiet chuckle as she watched him. _He must have forgotten all about letting the mediwitch know I was awake. Who knew he could be so attentive and caring?_

Sirius returned moments later with Madam Pomfrey in tow. The mediwitch bustled around getting various potions as Sirius smiled sheepishly at Hermione. Once Hermione downed the potions, she was left with only a dull ache in the back of her head - a vast improvement form the brain-crushing headache she felt upon waking.

After a lecture from Madam Pomfrey about being more careful, and a promise from Hermione that she would not be returning any time soon, Hermione was finally able to leave the Hospital WIng. Sirius would not let her out of his sight, however. Gallantly, he escorted her back to the Gryffindor common room.

The journey was quiet as Hermione was still recovering from her trauma and Sirius tried not to fuss over her. Upon reaching the common room, Sirius waited by the hearth as Hermione went up to the seventh year girls' dormitory to gather her things for the day. It was just about halfway through breakfast and the common room and dormitories were suitably empty of students.

Hermione swiftly gathered her books and shoved them into her bag after freshening up and changing into clean clothes. She tried not to think about the handsome grey-eyed wizard waiting for her downstairs as she slipped on her shoes. She could not figure out what was up with him - it was strange to see Sirius so worried about her when he used to come off so selfish, carefree, and reckless. This new Sirius was going to take a little getting used to, she thought, but she liked it.

It never occurred to her to wonder why her boyfriend was not the one who was sitting next to her in the Hospital Wing when she woke up, or why he was not the one waiting for her in the common room. Ron was admittedly the last thing on her mind at the moment.

Hermione walked down the stairs and joined Sirius by the hearth to warm up before they left for the Great Hall. On the walk, Hermione was plagued with thoughts about why Sirius was the one she woke up to and she wanted to ask him, but she did not at the same time. He was probably worried because the accident happened in his class. Maybe she would ask him later, she thought as they approached the double doors leading into the Great Hall.

Before they entered the Hall, Hermione turned to Sirius and gave him a quick hug. "Thank you for… well, everything," she whispered into his chest. SHe felt his arms tighten around her briefly before they both stepped back, wary to be found in such a compromising position.

Giving her a shy smile, Sirius said, "Anything for you, 'Mione."

Blushing at his words, Hermione followed him into the Great Hall. She waved to him as he led her to the Gryffindor table and continued on to the staff table. Spotting Harry and Ginny almost immediately, she moved to join them, noting on her way that Ron was noticeably missing.

"Morning," Hermione greeted, sitting down to join her friends. Noting the concerned expressions upon their faces, Hermione smiled indulgently.

"How are you feeling, Hermione? I heard that you were pretty banged up. In fact, it was all that anyone would talk about at dinner last evening," Ginny said. "Hell of a first day for you, I'd say."

Hermione and Harry laughed along with the youngest Weasley. "Well, I say you are right! I'm fine, really. Once Madam Pomfrey gave me some headache relief potion, I was right as rain," Hermione replied.

The three friends talked about what happened for a few minutes as Hermione piled food on her plate. After she started eating, she remembered the fact that Ron was nowhere to be found.

"Where's Ron? I didn't see him as I entered the Hall and he's still nowhere to be found." Looking down at her plate as she scooped some eggs onto her toast, Hermione missed the surreptitious glances that passed between her friends.

"I think he was at the Ravenclaw table talking to one of the Quidditch players about some new move or something," Ginny said in a rush. Hermione merely nodded. Knowing how Quidditch obsessed her boyfriend was, she thought nothing of it. Again, she missed the relieved glances exchanged between Harry and Ginny.

Hermione finished her breakfast with time to spare and decided to read through her Transfiguration text to prepare for the first lesson of the day. A sudden thought struck her as she read and a sense of dread washed over her.

"I didn't get to do my homework last night! What am I going to do? I'm going to get all zeros on the second day of class, thanks to your idiot brother!" Hermione was hysterical at the thought of failing on the second day of class.

Ginny held back a giggle as Hermione frantically rummaged through her bag trying to find parchment, ink, and a quill. "While I agree that my brother is a total idiot…"

Shaking his head, Harry finished Ginny's sentence, "None of our homework is due today, Hermione. You can work on everything tonight after dinner and hand it in tomorrow, just like everyone else."

Stilling her frantic searching, Hermione stared blankly at Harry as she tried to absorb his sound reasoning. Harry in turn smiled as understanding dawned in her eyes. "It's going to be okay, 'Mione. You will have plenty of time to work on your assignments… you can even help me with mine while your at it."

Flashing her friends a watery smile, she shook her head vigorously. "I'm sorry about that. I think the stress of the last few days has addled my brain. I'm just going to head up to class now before I give myself a panic attack."

Ginny patted her arm soothingly as Hermione took one last sip of her orange juice. "We'll go with you. It's nearly time anyway."

* * *

The three friends made their way out of the Great Hall and down the corridor three wide. Hermione was quiet as they walked, her mind focused on calming herself down. Again, her mind was so occupied that she never stopped to think about how the past few day would affect her mental stability. She felt like her life was slipping out of control with all the recent stressful situations. Still, it worried her since she had been through more than a few stressful situations in previous years.

Hermione was jarred from her thoughts as Ginny touched her arm. Looking at Ginny sharply, Hermione realised the younger witch said something to her but she had no idea what.

"I have History of Magic now, so I will see you at lunch," Ginny reiterated softly, worried for her friend's mental well being as she turned down one of the corridors. Harry and Hermione continued on to the Transfiguration classroom in silence.

As they rounded the corner, they spotted Ron walking with Lavender. The pair was discussing something quietly and they were rather close to each other. Harry glanced at Hermione to see if she noticed anything amiss, but her eyes were glazed over as she was lost in her own thoughts again. Sighing in relief, Harry signaled to Ron as the redhead glanced back at them and he swiftly stepped away from Lavender.

Ron waved Lavender off after whispering something to her as he waited for Hermione and Harry to approach. Looking worriedly at Hermione, Ron smiled as she blinked up at him with a slow smile.

"I am so sorry about yesterday, 'Mione. I didn't mean it, I swear. It was an accident. I wasn't paying attention to what I was doing and I hurt you. I'm so sorry. Are you okay? Did Madam Pomfrey heal you up?" Ron nervously rambled, not giving Hermione a chance to reply.

While Hermione laughed softly at her boyfriend's worried state, Harry thought the prig was laying it on a bit thick. Guilty conscience, Harry thought, since he knew Ron wasn't paying attention during class because he was too busy staring at Lavender Brown. Harry kept his gob firmly shut, though. He did not want to get in the middle and he hoped that his friend would come to his senses soon enough to make things right.

As Ron grabbed Hermione's hand, she ignored the little nagging thought that reminded her that Ron had been missing all last evening and all that morning. She wondered why, if he was oh so concerned about her, did he not visit her in the Hospital Wing or come by in the morning to escort her back to the common room.

It was unlike her to ignore her better sense like that, but she did. Maybe it was the stress, she told herself. Whatever it was, she really wanted to be drama free and enjoy the scholastic experience with her boyfriend and friends. The last thing she wanted was to focus on the whys and wherefores. It was a waste of her energy and she did not have much to spare lately.

Pulling her boyfriend close, she hugged him tight and whispered in his ear. "It's alright, Ron. Just promise that you will pay more attention in class from now on."

Ron held her close and whispered his promise before Harry became sick at the display and interrupted them. "We better get to class, you love birds, or we'll be late." Not waiting for his two best friends, Harry hustled toward the staircase.

After a moment more of holding onto each other, Ron placed a soft kiss on Hermione's lips and stepped back. Grasping her hand in his, he led her the rest of the way to class in silence.

* * *

Hermione was never so thankful that classes were finished for the day as she was then. Her head was aching again and she had enough of her over-attentive boyfriend. He was nowhere to be found when she really could have used his attention and help, but all day after that he hovered over her, refusing to leave her alone for a single minute.

Thankfully, he had detention with Filch that evening, otherwise Hermione might have been unable to stop herself from strangling him. She needed to work on her assignments in peace without him hovering over her like a mother hen.

Hermione wanted nothing more than to go to bed the moment dinner was over due to her raging headache, but she had to complete all of her assignments. Normally, she would already have them completed but thanks to her boyfriend's sheer ineptitude, she was behind going in to the third day of class. How did her life get to that point, Hermione wondered.

Rushing through dinner and barely speaking a word to Harry or Ron, Hermione made her way up to the Hospital Wing for another dose of headache relief potion. She needed something to ease the pain so she could concentrate. As she walked into the infirmary, Hermione was surprised to see Madam Pomfrey tending to an injured Sirius Black.

Hermione was instantly concerned, wondering what happened to Sirius. In her worry, she rushed over to the professor's cot to make sure he was alright.

Sirius was sitting up on the cot, grimacing as the mediwitch tended to his left arm, which Hermione noticed has a rather nasty gash. "Sirius, are… are you okay?" she asked upon reaching his side.

Startled, Madam Pomfrey and Sirius both looked up sharply. "I'm fi—" Sirius started to say before Madam Pomfrey forcefully cut him off.

"Miss Granger, take a seat on that cot," Madam Pomfrey pointed to the bed next to the one Sirius currently occupied. "I will be with you in a moment." Before the mediwitch pulled the curtain closed between the cots, Hermione met Sirius' gaze as he mouthed 'I'm fine'.

Hermione sat on the bed for two whole minutes before Madam Pomfrey appeared from behind the curtain. "What in Merlin's name is wrong now, dear? I thought you promised me you would not be back here for the rest of the term. Silly witch, what are we to do with you?" the mediwitch asked in good humour.

Hermione smiled sheepishly despite the pain in her head and told Madam Pomfrey why she was there. The mediwitch bustled off to fetch a headache relief potion and returned a moment later. Swallowing the allotted dose of the potion, Hermione leant back against the pillows on the bed while Madam Pomfrey checked on Sirius.

Hermione was just about to get up and leave when Madam Pomfrey slid the curtains back between Sirius' bed and hers. She turned to see Sirius staring at her, the concern clear in his grey eyes despite his own injuries. Hermione watched him curiously as he moved the short distance between their cots and stood at her side. "Is everything alright? Are you feeling okay? You weren't hurt again, were you? It seems like you can not stay away from here this year."

"I'm fine, Sirius. Just a bit of a headache, that's all," Hermione replied, swallowing a giggle at Sirius' worried rambling. "The real question is are you alright? What happened to your arm?"

She reached out to gently touch his injured arm, but stopped just short, seeking permission by meeting Sirius' eyes. He reached out, grasping her hand with his and softly placed it on his injured arm. He watched her with wide eyes as she traced the scar left behind as the only evidence of his injured after Madam Pomfrey's expert healing.

Hermione glanced up from his arm to see Sirius watching her with an odd glint in his grey eyes - they were filled with something she never saw before, something she could not even describe. She wondered what that look meant, but she was also scared of the answer. All she knew was that no one ever looked at her like that before. Ever.

She had to mentally shake herself in an effort to clear her mind. Moving her hand away from Sirius' arm, Hermione gave him a stern look. "You haven't answered my question."

Chuckling, Sirius nodded. "You're right, I haven't. It was not anything dangerous. I was hit with a stray severing charm during the sixth year Hufflepuff class. I'm perfectly fine, so you do not need to worry your pretty little self over this, 'Mione. Accidents happen in class all the time, or so I'm told by the rest of the staff."

"Alright, I won't worry about it, as long as you are all healed up." Hermione grabbed her bag, turning for the double doors, and tried to hide the rush of heat to her face at his words. He thinks you're pretty, she told herself before brushing it off as just one of those things people say. "I have to go to the library now. I will see you in class tomorrow. I'm really glad you are okay, Sirius."

Hermione looked back and smiled at him as she walked toward the doors. "I will walk with you. I have to speak with Madam Pince anway," Sirius called out suddenly as he rushed to catch up with her.

As Hermione and Sirius made their way to the library, Hermione could hardly stop herself from surreptitiously watching Sirius out of the corner of her eye. Something in her view of him changed from what it had been before he disappeared behind the veil. She could not name precisely what had changed, but it was definitely something.

He was not the same juvenile, unstable, moody man that he was during her fifth year. Now he was a mature, fun, caring, and intriguing wizard… not to mention handsome, with a rather nice arse… Hermione stopped dead in her tracks at the surprising thought. She was not even aware that she was checking out Sirius' arse until that thought hit her like a ton of bricks.

_Merlin, what am I thinking? This Harry's godfather… and I have a boyfriend. I do not need to be harbouring a little schoolgirl crush on my Professor! I already have enough stress as it is this year. _

In Hermione's mind, they could not reach the library quick enough. She needed to put some distance between herself and Sirius in order to clear her mind of any unwelcome ideas. When they finally reached the library, Hermione bolted to a remote corner of the large room in search of a private table. She barely muttered a farewell to Sirius as she fled, leaving him to stare after her in total bewilderment.

Witches. He would never understand them as long as he lived, Sirius thought as he shook his head and turned to find the old librarian. He was surrounded by them but he would never, ever understand them. They might as well be a different species.


	9. Ch 9 Hermione Caught the Train

****_AN: Only six years in the making, but here is the next chapter in this tale. Updates will be much more frequent from here on out as I work to finish this story. It will not be abandoned._

* * *

**Chapter Nine:**

**Hermione Caught the Hogwarts Express**

_Last Time: How many times is Ron going to hurt her like that? Sirius wondered. Stepping closer to the young witch, he pulled her into a comforting hug. "Only Merlin knows why they chose to stand here to snog, of all places in the castle, but they are gone now. I'm just sorry that you were forced to witness that. I know it hurts, love."_

* * *

_Hermione felt the tears build up again and she clung to Sirius for a long time. Once she calmed down and the tears subsided, Hermione stepped back from his embrace and smiled sadly. With a nod of thanks, she whispered her password and slipped passed the portrait, leaving Sirius staring after her._

The first month of seventh year was heavy on Hermione's nerves. Between the drama with Ron, Lavender Brown rubbing it in her face almost every day that she stole Ron from her, and a heavy class load, Hermione was ready for the first Hogsmeade weekend. Some juvenile fun at Zonko's Joke Shop and a butterbeer or ten would do her well, she thought.

As Head Girl, some of her fun would be minimized since she had to assist the professors with watching over the younger years, but Hermione did not mind. She enjoyed her job of Head Girl. She took pride in it, and she liked to help out wherever and whenever possible. As a seventh year, Hermione had been to Hogsmeade often enough to not miss out on some of the exploration. If she managed to sneak in an hour or two to herself, she would be a very happy witch.

At 9 o'clock in the morning, Hermione stood next to Professor McGonagall as the older witch checked in the students with consent forms from their parents for the Hogsmeade trips. As each student was marked off the list, Hermione directed them to the Thestral drawn carriages. If a student was informed that he or she was not authorized to go on the trip, Hermione was supposed to Draco so he could escort the student back to the castle. The operation was like a well-oiled machine. Especially since there were no unauthorised students that year.

Finally, once every approved student was seated in a carriage, the procession to Hogsmeade began. Upon arrival to town, there was a sea of eager students flowing through the streets. Hermione smiled as she watched a group of third years exclaim their delights over their first trip to the small wizarding town. It brought back fond memories of her own first trip and how in awe she was of an entirely wizard town.

Well, except for the fact that Harry was not allowed to come on the trip and he snuck out only to find that his own godfather had turned on his parents… or so he thought.

"Brings back memories, doesn't it?" Sirius asked as he stepped up beside Hermione.

Turning to him, she smiled nostalgically. "Indeed."

Sirius felt himself blush at the expression on Hermione's face, knowing that she was probably thinking about her third year when he broke out of Azkaban. Those were some trying, but rather interesting, times. He would not go back there for all the salt in the world, that was for sure.

"Would you like to join me on my rounds?" Hermione asked, enjoying the blush on his face. The contrast of his dark hair and pink cheeks was endearing and Hermione found herself staring.

"I would love to," Sirius replied absently as he was still a little lost in his memories of that year on the run.

"How is the teaching gig working out for you?" Hermione started a conversation to bring the wizard back to the present.

With a mental shake, Sirius focused on Hermione as they strolled through the old town. "It's amazing, really. I enjoy it far more than I ever thought I would."

"That's wonderful, Sirius!" Hermione gently bumped Sirius' shoulder as they weaved through excited students racing through the streets.

"Thanks, love. I remember many conversations with Remus where he raved about his experience and wished he could do it again. He loved teaching so much and he thought I would feel the same," Sirius explained.

After a brief pause to separate a few menacing Fifth Year Slytherins from bullying a lonely Third Year Hufflepuff, Sirius continued his explanation.

"I actually felt horrible when the the Headmaster offered me the job, knowing how much Remus would jump at such an opportunity again. But, Remus gave me his honest blessing and told me I would be a fool to pass it up. He was right."

Hermione nodded understandingly. "Remus was a wonderful professor and I do wish that he could have stayed on longer. It's unfortunate that there is so much prejudice in this world too," Hermione said. "But I think you are doing an equally wonderful job so far."

Sirius smiled broadly as he shook the hair out of his eyes. "Well, if Hermione Granger says I am doing a wonderful job as a professor, then that is high praise indeed."

Giggling like a true little school girl, Hermione swatted his shoulder playfully. The pair continued patrolling the town to keep an eye on the students. After a another hour, they traded shifts with Professor McGonagall and Hagrid.

"Would you like to stop for a bite at The Three Broomsticks?" Sirius asked as they made their way back from the far end of town.

"Yes! I'm famished!" Hermione practically dragged Sirius to the crowded pub in her rush to get some food into her stomach. It was foolish to skip breakfast, she knew, but she lost herself in her classwork in an effort to finish it early.

Sirius laughed as he followed the eager witch down the street and through the door of the pub. There was barely room to maneuver, but Hermione eased through the tight spaces between crowded tables to two seats at the bar. The place was so packed that there was nary a table left for them. Bar seats were his favourite anyway.

"Hullo, Sirius," Madam Rosmerta greeted as he pulled out a stool for Hermione to sit on. As he perched on his own stool, Sirius shot the striking witch a charming smile.

"And Hermione Granger, sitting at the bar. Be still my heart." Rosmerta mocked a faint as she smiled at the unlikely pair. Her gaze lingered on Sirius as she watched him dote on the younger witch. He made sure Hermione was comfortable, had a menu, and knew what she wanted to eat and drink.

After they ordered their lunches, Hermione and Sirius sank into a lull of silence. Sirius was lost in thoughts of his years on the run again while Hermione thought about how pleasant it was to spend time with Sirius. He was so easy to get along with, never asking for more than she could give or wanting her to be something she was not.

Once their food arrived, the pair ate with gusto, filling their empty bellies. After the food was devoured, Hermione finally broke the silence.

"Do you need any assistance with your marking this weekend?"

Sirius was somewhat thrown by the question as it was completely unexpected. "Er, sure. I admit that I issued too many assignments so far, which equals a lot of work for me."

Inwardly delighted at that knowledge, Hermione smiled. "Well, all of my classwork has been completed so I have time to offer a spare set of hand if you would like."

Sirius caught the eye of Madam Rosmerta as he struggled not to ogle Hermione. The older witch winked knowingly, causing Sirius to blush deeply. He winked back at the witch as he slinked his arm along the back of Hermione's chair. Rosmerta smirked at the action and tipped a glass in Sirius' direction.

Hermione turned to Sirius, waiting for his answer, and raised an eyebrow at his raised glass. "Did you hear me?"

"Er, what?" Sirius asked as he turned back to the young witch next to him. "Did you ask me something?"

Hermione considered Sirius as she glanced between him and Madam Rosmerta. Her spirits sank as she realised that the two might have something going on. She thought herself a fool for even thinking for so much as a millisecond that Sirius Black might see her as more than just a student or childhood friend of his godson.

"Never you mind," she said briskly. "I better get back to my Head Girl duties. Thank you for lunch." Wiping her mouth with a napkin, Hermione spun her bar stool around and jump down. Fleeing without waiting for a response, Hermione missed the bewildered expression on Sirius' face as he watched her hurried departure.

"You still have such a way with witches," Madam Rosmerta purred as she cleared away Hermione's area.

Sirius stared blankly at the barmaid, trying to understand what the bloody hell just happened. "And clearly, I am as clueless as ever," he admitted.

"Oh, Sirius. Young witches are the worst when it comes to emotional stability. But even I will admit that witch is something special. Approach with caution, though. She is still young and naive." Rosmerta patted the top of his head as she smiled. "By the way, I believe she thought there was a little something going on between you and me. You might want to fix that."

Madam Rosmerta sashayed away leaving Sirius with his mouth hanging open. He would never understand witches, he thought. All during his younger years, Madam Rosmerta featured prominently in his fantasies. Even during his first few years in Azkaban, she was a welcomed thought in the dreary grey. But now, he could not even comprehend the thought of her in that way.

Still, Madam Rosmerta was right about one thing. He might want to ease whatever thoughts Hermione was considering right then.

* * *

Hermione stalked through the crowded streets of Hogsmeade, wondering just what the hell she was thinking to allow herself to believe she had a chance with Sirius Black in a romantic way. Not that anything happened, mind. But she still almost put herself out there for the possibility of something happening.

She had no business trying to inexpertly seduce someone like Sirius Black. He experienced more in his fifth year of Hogwarts than Hermione even hoped to experience by her twenties. Even with his lost years in Azkaban and beyond the veil, he was a man by all accounts and she had nothing to offer someone like him.

Hermione Granger was a fool. There was no denying that. She practically kicked herself as she proceeded down the main street. Too deep in her own self deprecating thoughts, Hermione failed to notice the sudden appearance of black robed figures in front of her. Only the screams of nearby students and townspeople roused her from her thoughts.

"Death Eaters!" Someone shouted, sending students and townspeople fleeing in every given direction. Snapping to attention, Hermione's training kicked in as she spun in place, searching out the Death Eaters and trying to spot any students that might be stuck in a bad place.

Unfortunately, as she stood in place and gazed around for anyone in need, Hermione lost the opportunity to flee to safety with the others. Before she could move a muscle, Antonin Dolohov sidled up to her.

"If it isn't the ickle Gryffindor mudblood." He circled her, leering openly. "I have waited patiently for almost two years for a chance to face you again."

"Dolohov," Hermione hissed, anxiety washing over her. Glancing around, she tried to spot someone who might be able to assist her. She was on the far end of town, away from the crowded pub and popular shops. Most of the wizards and witches fled in any direction they could, eager to save their own arses.

She met Dolohov's stare with resolve as she came to the conclusion that she was all on her own this time. The Death Eater smirked knowing she was without backup. Slipping his wand from a discreet arm holster, Dolohov pointed it right in Hermione's face.

"Do you know what they say about vengeance, Mudblood?"

Hermione ignored the question as her eyes continued to dart around. Why did she have to leave Sirius in a snit like that? If she would have stayed in The Three Broomsticks for a few minutes longer, she would have had Sirius at her side as the Death Eaters arrived.

A hand shot out and grasped her chin with clenching force and her eyes darted back to the Death Eater. "Do not ignore me, you little mudblood bitch!" Dolohov snarled. She blinked as spittle hit her face. "Two years ago, you and your little friends got the jump on me, making the Dark Lord think that I was bested by school children. That angered me and made me vengeful. And the thing about vengeance is it is sweet."

Dolohov licked the side of her face with his wet tongue, smacking his lips at the taste of sweat upon her skin.

Having no idea what the self proclaimed vengeful Death Eater had in mind, Hermione flinched a moment later as he backhanded her with his right hand while his left hand still held her chin. He hit her so hard she saw stars for several seconds as she struggled to get away from her attacker. Before she could even gain her freedom, Dolohov grabbed hold of her ponytail and yanked so that her head tipped back. Moving his wand tip to her throat, Hermione tried to kick him in the groin.

Somehow, she managed a direct hit to his bollocks with her left knee, sending the Death Eater to his knees with watery eyes as he tried to protect his manhood from further attacks. Hermione took advantage of the situation and kicked him hard in the face, hearing the distinct crack of a broken nose. Next, she snatched up Dolohov's discarded wand and snapped it in half. Tossing the broken wand as far as she could, Hermione fled to the nearest sheltered area.

Chest heaving, Hermione dodged another Death Eater and slipped into a shop unnoticed. Running to the back of the store, she slipped out of the back door and sprinted along the shops to get further into town. She had no idea if any other students had been attacked or if the professors even knew that Death Eaters were in town. As she neared an alley close to The Three Broomsticks, she watched as spells and hexes were fired in the street ahead. She noted that the professors were fighting off the Death Eaters and even a few Order members were there.

"Good, at least they know and are fighting them off," she whispered to herself as she silently slipped down the short alley. Clinging to the shadows, she huddled behind a few barrels and fired off spells at Death Eaters in the street strategically.

Hermione managed to incapacitate five Death Eaters before the stupid arses figured out someone was down the alley. Before they could discover her exact position, Hermione spun in place and disapparated into The Three Broomsticks. She landed in the middle of over a hundred surprised students huddling under tables.

"Hermione!" Madam Rosmerta gasped as she offered drinks and snacks to the students in an effort to comfort and calm the frightened students. "Thank Merlin you are all right! Sirius was very worried about you when no one saw where you went."

"Thanks, Madam Rosmerta. I'm fine, just had a little run in with Antonin Dolohov, but I'm okay," Hermione said as she gazed around the packed pub. "Is everyone else out there?"

Rosmerta nodded as she held a clean rag full of ice to the young witch's face. "You have a nasty bruise on the side of your face and I am rubbish at healing spells. But some ice should help with the swelling."

Hermione smiled at the older woman appreciatively. "I am going back out there to help, so a healing spell would likely be wasted now anyway."

"Stay safe child, there are many who would hate to see you hurt or worse," Madam Rosmerta said, her tone laden with a meaning which Hermione did not quite understand. With a nod, Hermione walked to the front of the restaurant and exited through the door.

The main street through Hogsmeade was a mess of debris, fallen bodies, and fighting witches and wizards. Various colors of light shot through the air from every direction as curses were cast by both sides. Hermione noted that someone must have cast protective spells over The Three Broomsticks since any curses cast in that direction dissipated at least ten feet from the building.

Hermione spotted Harry and Sirius huddled behind an overturned carriage, taking turns shooting hexes at Death Eaters while the other one played lookout. Flicking a quick protection spell over herself, to protect her from most spells for a very short time, Hermione sprinted to their position, casting hexes of her own at the Death Eaters as she went.

"Hullo, boys," she greeted them as she came up behind Harry. "How are things going out here?"

"'Mione! Glad you're safe," Harry greeted back as he took his turn to fire at the enemy.

Sirius turned to the young witch and eyed her sternly. "Where the bloody hell have you been? I thought you had been taken or killed!"

Hermione inadvertently stepped backed from the angry wizard. She had never seen Sirius so mad before, not even when Harry was hurt or suspected of releasing Dementors into a Muggle town. Putting her hands up in defence and surrender, she stared up at Sirius wide eyed.

"I'm sorry, Sirius. I'm fine and here now."

Sirius mumbled about brazen witches and sheer dumb luck before turning back to fire hexes with fervor. Hermione stepped up to assist as Aurors apparated into sight. Within minutes, the madness was under control as several Death Eaters were subdued and taken into custody while others vanished to avoid capture.

Sighing deeply, Hermione sank to the ground, the pain from the bruise on her face finally hitting her now that the adrenaline was gone. As the rush of battle passed, Hermione understood how close she came to being abducted and tortured or just plain killed by Dolohov. He obviously obsessed over the fact that she got the better of him at the Ministry of Magic back in her fifth year. Hermione would have to watch her back with Antonin Dolohov now, she knew.

"So, are you going to tell us what happened to you?" Sirius asked, his handsome face soured with bitterness. Crossing his arms in front of his chest as he stared down at Hermione, he looked every bit the part of a demanding professor.

Hermione sensed something more in his expression but he flicked his eyes away from hers before she could discern what it was. Instead of dwelling on it, she opted to tell him the truth of what happened after she left him sitting at the bar alone.

She told Sirius and Harry how she set off from The Three Broomsticks to run another round through town and as she neared the far end of the main street, shouts rang out of Death Eaters appearing. Before she knew it, Dolohov cornered her threatening vengeance. Hermione explained how she fended him off with a knee to the bollocks and a kick to his face which broke his nose. She also told them how she fled to the rear side of the shops and slipped down an alley to help fend of the Death Eaters before apparating into The Three Broomsticks and coming out to join them.

Sirius was livid by the end of her tale - not at Hermione, since she could not have known that the Death Eaters would strike - but at himself for allowing her to walk away on her own during such times when Death Eaters could and would attack in the broad light of day during a student excursion. It took a certain type of monster to hurt children and those that care for them.

He remained silent as they ventured out to help gather the injured and count the students to make sure everyone was accounted for. By the time that most of the damage had been assessed and or repaired and all of the students were ushered back into the carriages to return to Hogwarts, Sirius could no longer hold his tongue.

"If I ever see Dolohov, he is a dead man," he said with clenched teeth as his left hand tenderly touched Hermione's bruised cheek. "Anyone who hurts you like this is a dead man."

Hermione gazed up at Sirius, awed at his contempt for someone that hurt her. Her eyes widened as he pulled out his wand and touched it to her cheek. She was speechless at the tenderness in his movements as he made sure her cheek was healed.

"There you go, all better."

"Thank you, Sirius," Hermione whispered, her heart skipping a beat as she felt herself slowly falling for the wizard before her.


	10. Ch 10 Hermione Missed the Train

**Chapter Ten:**_  
_

**Hermione Missed the Hogwarts Express**

_Last Time: He was not the same juvenile, unstable, moody man that he was during her fifth year. Now he was a mature, fun, caring, and intriguing wizard… not to mention handsome, with a rather nice arse… Hermione stopped dead in her tracks at the surprising thought. She was not even aware that she was checking out Sirius' arse until that thought hit her like a ton of bricks. _

_Merlin, what am I thinking? This Harry's godfather… and I have a boyfriend. I do not need to be harbouring a little schoolgirl crush on my Professor! I already have enough stress as it is this year. _

* * *

The first Hogsmeade weekend marked the end of a long month at school for some. Hermione was looking forward to getting off campus for a while and spending time with her boyfriend and friends.

Over the past month, Hermione watched her boyfriend become increasingly distant. Between their class schedules (hers was far more intense), his Quidditch schedule, and trying to spend time with their friends, she and Ron spent little time together.

She wasn't too bothered about it since if afforded her more time to spend on her studies. Still, she would have liked to spend some time with Ron. Otherwise, what was the point of being in a relationship?

Hermione hoped that a day of fun in Hogsmeade would bring them together again.

"Are you excited for today?" Ginny asked Hermione as she slipped into a seat across from Hermione's spot at the Gryffindor table.

"Absolutely," Hermione replied. "I'm looking forward to a break from school work and some fresh air."

"And a few butter beers, I'm sure."

Hermione nodded. A few butter beers would do her a world of good. "Where are Harry and your brother? We're supposed to board the carriages soon."

"They should be on their way down," Ginny said, not meeting her eyes.

"All students in third year and up who are approved to go on the Hogsmeade trip, please report to Professor McGonagall in the entrance hall," the Headmaster announced from the Head Table as the breakfast hour came to an end.

Hermione glanced around looking for any sign of Harry and Ron but they were nowhere in sight. Standing, she and Ginny made their way to the Entrance Hall to join the gathered crowd of students. She hoped that the boys showed up before the carriages left. They would be in big trouble if they tried to walk to town on their own.

As she and Ginny stood in line to check in with Professor McGonagall, Hermione pondered thoughts about how things would have been different if she was still Head Girl. The trip would be an entirely different experience if she had to assist the professors and direct the students. Standing there watching the staff already becoming stressed, Hermione was grateful that she was stripped of the title. She was already stressed with her studies and her boyfriend as it was.

"Miss Granger, Miss Weasley, I have your signed permission forms," professor McGonagall stated as she checked their names on the list. "Enjoy your day in Hogsmeade."

Hermione smiled broadly at her favorite professor before they bounded down the front steps toward the line of Thestral drawn carriages. Once the girls were settled into their seats in an unoccupied carriage, Hermione saw Harry and Ron sprinting toward them.

Ginny shouted, "It's about time!" as the boys jumped into the carriage. Both of them were short of breath.

"Someone couldn't decide what to wear," Harry said with an annoyed glance at Ron.

Ron shrugged unabashedly as he shifted closer to Hermione. "I wanted to look good for my witch."

Hermione beamed at him and he wrapped an arm around her shoulders. After so many missed opportunities lately, she was pleased to have him close. Leaning into his body, she placed a gentle kiss on Ron's cheek.

"Okay, love birds, that's enough. What do you want to do first?" Harry asked, still annoyed at his friend's behaviour. Seeing Hermione so happy to have Ron by her side annoyed him even more.

"I was thinking of going to Zonko's and walking through town before we go to The Three Broomsticks," Ginny suggested, picking up on Harry's mood. "It'll be fun to explore town together like it was the first time."

"That sounds like a great plan," Hermione added. "I want to pop in to the book shoppe at some point too."

Rolling his eyes, Ron sighed and dropped his arm from around her shoulder. "Of course you do."

Hermione's head snapped around at her boyfriend, her brow furrowed. She could not understand Ron's aversion to anything that she liked. It bordered on maddening since she tried hard to take some sort of interest in his interests. She would never be a fan of Quidditch, but she watched the games with intense focus because it pleased Ron. He knew damn well that she had plenty of other things to do with her time, but she did it for him. Why couldn't he do the same once in a great while?

"You don't have to go," she snapped, anger overcoming her at how unfair he acted. "You would just be a nuisance anyway."

"Good. I'd rather go to —" Hermione tuned Ron out as he chattered on about where else he'd rather go. She knew it involved the joke shop and any number of other frivolous shoppes.

Ginny eyed her friend, knowing that Hermione was upset with her brother. He was a selfish wizard and Ginny feared that would never change. If only Hermione knew how utterly selfish he really was, she thought. She hated knowing how poorly her brother treated Hermione.

She had to bite her lip to prevent herself from saying something right there. It was neither the time nor the place, she thought, but if Ron continued to treat her best friend in such a horrid manner, Ginny would give him hell.

Hermione finally met her eyes and Ginny smiled sadly. Shrugging, Hermione rolled her eyes at the red headed witch and her shoulders sagged. Ginny knew that Hermione would rather explore the book shop on her own anyway, but she still found herself whispering an apology on behalf of her idiot brother.

The carriage ride was one of the longest in history due to the tension emanating from Hermione Granger. The group of friends let out a collective sigh of relief once they arrived in town and climbed out of the stifling carriage. The cheer and happy faces of the other students instantly lifted their spirits as the group set out along the main street.

"Er, I think I'm just going to pop round the book shop now," Hermione blurted as they approached Zonko's. "Enjoy Zonko's and I will meet up with you at The Three Broomsticks in a bit."

"Are you sure?" Ginny whispered while Ron shrugged and strolled into the shop without a backward glance.

"Yes. I can't tolerate your brother right now and I'd much rather browse the books than pretend to enjoy myself," Hermione replied defeatedly. "I'll be fine, I promise."

"All right. Just don't get so lost in a book that you forget to come to The Three Broomsticks!" Harry called as Hermione turned and headed down the main street.

Ginny and Harry stared after their friend, both silently vowing to tell her the unfortunate truth about her boyfriend… soon.

* * *

Three hours later, Hermione glanced up from a rather engrossing book on formulaic regressions in Arithmancy as a shadow loomed over her. Seated in a plush armchair in the corner of the book shop, she lost herself in the thought provoking text. She did not have a care in the world until that shadow rattled her focus.

"Sirius," Hermione breathed. The handsome professor stood in front of her with his hands on his narrow hips and smiled doggedly.

"What in Merlin's name are you doing hiding away in here, 'Mione?" he asked, clearly befuddled by her. "It's a nice day out and it's a Hogsmeade weekend. The very last thing you should be doing is reading in a book in the back corner of a darkened shoppe."

Hermione stared up at him. He was right, but the book was so intriguing that she was hesitant to put it down and walk away. Sirius could see her hesitation clear as day and he grabbed the book out of her grasp with lightning reflexes.

"Come my little bookworm. I will buy you this book, Regressive Transformative Theory — what does that even mean? — if you will join me for a walk through town. I've finished my duty rounds for the day and now it's time to enjoy the town."

Hermione grinned at how utterly charming Sirius Black could be. How could she refuse an offer like that? She would get to have the book that so captivated her for hours and walk through town with the most handsome wizard in town.

"Deal," she declared as Sirius offered her a hand to help her stand.

Sirius paid for the tome and the pair slipped out of the shop with broad smiles on their faces. Hermione's earlier anger with her boyfriend was washed away as Sirius entertained her with stories and jokes. In fact, she forgot all about Ronald Weasley as she was captivated by the older wizard.

As they turned the corner and Sirius led Hermione toward the Hog's Head Tavern, a dark robed figure popped out from the alley between buildings. Sirius immediately drew his wand and pointed it at the figure as he stepped in front of Hermione protectively. With its own wand pointed at them, the figure shook its hood away.

"Dolohov," Hermione whispered, her hand shaking as she tried to aim her wand at the Death Eater.

"Mudblood," Dolohov spat in reply. "I had hoped you would be alone again, but I see that you have learnt your lesson from last time." Turning to Sirius, he glared, his eyes fill with distaste. "I see you haven't changed much, Black. Still sneaking little school girls down the dark reaches of town."

"Bugger off, Dolohov," Sirius snapped as he flicked his wand back over his shoulder. Hermione saw a mist travel from his wand back toward the main part of town and assumed Sirius cast a _Patronus_ message to the other professors.

Knowing that help was on the way and she was not facing Dolohov alone this time, Hermione was emboldened to attack before he did. She cast the first hex at the Death Eater as he and Sirius stared daggers at each other.

"_Sectumsempra_," she whispered with a slight flick of her wrist. The cutting spell hit Dolohov in the leg and Hermione swore at her bad aim. She meant to hit him in the face.

In a flash, her eyes widened and her breath hitched as Dolohov's left leg was sliced clean off below the knee. Blood spurted from his amputated leg and Hermione felt bile rise in her throat.

Dolohov managed to fire a hex of his own as he fell, just missing them as it struck the building. As his agonizing screams filled the air, another Death Eater appeared from the alley and snatched up Dolohov's appendage. Ready for a fight, Sirius cast a stunner at the second Death Eater, but he managed to dodge the spell and grasped Dolohov's hand before disapparating.

"Merlin's fucking bollocks!" Sirius swore as the Death Eaters vanished from sight.

"Language, Mister Black," Professor McGonagall snapped from behind them. Sirius spun around to see McGonagall and Hagrid approaching them and ducked his head feeling like an errant student.

"Are you quite alright?" Professor McGonagall asked a moment later, eyeing them carefully.

"Yes, professor," Hermione murmured, white faced and shocked at what she had done. She could hardly breathe and her body was stiff, but she was unharmed.

"Can you explain what happened?" Professor McGonagall asked in a softer tone. Hermione opened her mouth to explain but no sound came out. Instead, she turned to Sirius for help.

Sirius eyed Hermione with concern before describing how they were ambushed by Antonin Dolohov and how Hermione defended them. Minerva stopped him when he reached the point where the other Death Eater appeared.

"I saw the last bit for myself. I am relieved that neither of you were hurt. But I am afraid that this event has confirmed our fears that Dolohov would come after you again, Miss Granger."

Hermione nodded, knowing that the professors were right. The Death Eater was on a mission to attack her, there was no doubt of that. She was just glad that no one else was hurt and that she was able to hurt Dolohov first. But she knew that he would be out for blood after what she just did to him. It was no longer child's play.

The professors conferred among themselves for several minutes before Professor McGonagall turned back to Hermione. "Professor Black is going to escort you back to the castle now, Miss Granger. We think it for the best to return to the school now before any other mishaps occur."

"That's fine, professor," Hermione said, exhausted now that the adrenaline of the fight was gone.

"Hagrid, we shall let the rest of the professors know what happened as we round up the other students. I do not want to risk another attack today."

With a nod to the other professors, Sirius placed a gentle hand on Hermione's lower back and led her to Hogsmeade Station. He was deep in thought as they walked along and he did not break his silence until they were settled into a carriage.

"Where did you learn that curse?" he asked finally.

He was staring at his hands which were clasped in his lap. Hermione could not read his expression to know if he was just curious or if he was angry. Gulping, she prepared herself to explain.

"It was in the Half Blood Prince's potions text which Harry had in sixth year. Harry told Ron and me about the spell when he found it."

Sirius nodded without looking at her. He was silent again until the carriage pulled up in front of Hogwarts. As he helped Hermione step down from the carriage, Sirius placed a hand on her shoulder to stop her from walking away and stared deep into her eyes.

"Severus used that curse on James when we were younger. The injuries from that curse never fully heal and any body parts removed by that curse cannot be replaced," he explained. "I am conflicted on the idea of you using such a curse, but given the circumstances, I am proud of how you defended yourself — and me— today."

Hermione was breathless as Sirius tenderly touched her cheek. "Most of all, I am glad that you were not hurt again by that monster."

"Thanks, Sirius, for being there with me. I don't think I would have been so brave if I was alone." She flung herself at him, burying her face in his robes as she hugged him tight. Her breathed hitched as his arms wrapped tightly around her, pulling her impossibly close to his body.


	11. Ch 11 Hermione Caught the Train

**Chapter Eleven:**

**Hermione Caught the Hogwarts Express**

* * *

_Last Time: "If I ever see Dolohov, he is a dead man," he said harshly as his left hand tenderly touched Hermione's still bruised cheek. "Anyone who hurts you like this is a dead man." _

_Hermione gazed up at Sirius, in awe of his contempt for someone that hurt her. Her eyes widened as he pulled out his wand and touched it to her cheek. She was speechless at the tenderness in his movements as he made sure her cheek was healed. _

_ "There you go, all better." _

_"Thank you, Sirius," Hermione whispered, her heart skipping a beat as she knew that she was falling for the wizard before her._

* * *

Halloween arrived without the normal fanfare since the students and staff were still recovering from the shocking Death Eater attack during the first, and sadly last, Hogsmeade weekend of the term. It had only been two weeks since the shocking events and some of the Third Years were still terrified of their own shadows. Hermione was thankful that the First and Second Years were spared the unnecessary wake up call.

Still, Professor Flitwick managed to charm the pumpkins that Hagrid was thoughtful enough to collect. And the resident ghosts stepped up their usual efforts to be cheering and scary at the same time to raise morale. The upper level students were grateful for the effort as it gave them something else to think about other than the impending war.

"It's times like these that I miss the Death Day celebration from second year," Harry said as he settled in his usual spot at the Gryffindor table across from Hermione.

"I completely agree," Hermione replied as she passed a bowl full of treats down the line to the First and Second Years. "Those were simpler times, or so they seemed."

"Does it disturb anyone else that we are old enough to be able to say those things?" Ginny asked as she spread jam on her toast. "Normal Muggle teenagers do not have these problems, do they?"

Hermione shook her head. "Only in times of war, maybe. But generally the young are left out of these types of things."

"Well, we have enough experience with being left out of things!" Harry declared forcefully. "I'd rather face the truth head on and be aware enough to know that it exists and how to handle it. No more being left in the dark for us."

"I agree, Harry," Sirius said as he appeared behind Ginny's shoulder and swooped down to take a piece of her toast with jam. "Knowledge is power, or so they say."

"Hey, you mongrel!" Ginny playfully swatted at his hand before remembering that he was a professor now and they were not back in his kitchen at Grimmauld Place. "I mean, please do not steal my breakfast, Professor Black. I am but a poor, starving student."

The group laughed as Sirius made to hand Ginny back the piece of already bitten toast. Ginny pretended to swat him again. Shrugging, Sirius shoved the remaining piece of toast into his mouth and smiled.

"I hear the Headmaster has a big announcement this morning. Even he can see that the students are in dire need of some reassurance and fun now that Hogsmeade weekends have been cancelled," he explained after swallowing the stolen food.

"Oh really?" Harry said, curious about what the announcement would be. "I hope it's something fun! We definitely need something fun. The locals are getting restless."

Sirius smiled knowingly but refused to say a word about the announcement. He winked at Hermione before turning to make his way to the Head Table for the official start of breakfast. It was a Saturday and many students and some staff were stumbling in to breakfast later than usual.

Hermione surreptitiously watched Sirius as he walked away. She had recently taken to watching him from beneath her lashes and making mental notes of the many fine attributes he had to offer a witch. This time, she noted that he had a nice arse as he was not wearing robes, instead choosing a pair of fitted black trousers and a black long sleeved shirt which was tucked in to his trousers.

She had to practically force her gaze away as he turned to walk up the steps to the raised platform on which the Head Table sat. She did not want to be caught in the act of ogling a professor and shifted her gaze to the plate before her. A nudge to her foot caused her to snap her head up. Ginny was eyeing her with curiosity, a brow quirked and a broad smile on her face. The redheaded witch mouthed, "You have a crush!" before sticking her tongue out at the Head Girl.

Hermione's cheeks flushed immediately as she fought to deny the truth. Ginny knew her too well to be fooled by the emphatic shaking of her head, especially when the blush gave it all away.

"You _cannot_ tell anyone!" Hermione whispered emphatically, even though she knew Ginny would never spread a rumour like that. The younger witch was reliable and understood the importance of keeping such things secret, especially since the crush in question was Harry's godfather.

Ginny nodded solemnly and whispered back, "Don't worry, I won't say a thing. But if you need to talk about it, I'm here."

It was kind of Ginny to offer as Hermione knew there would be times when she wondered what the bloody hell her mind and body were doing by developing feelings for an older wizard like Sirius Black. In fact, she already had a few moments like that over the past two weeks since she first realised she felt something for him.

"Thanks, Gin," Hermione said aloud, drawing the attention of Harry. He glanced back and forth between the two witches, trying to decide if he missed something or not.

When Hermione caught his wondering gaze, she said, "Ginny passed me the toast, that's all."

Harry nodded, assuming that Hermione would not lie about something so mundane, and went back to devouring his breakfast. As Harry finished the last of his food, the Headmaster's voice boomed through the hall.

"Your attention, please," Headmaster Dumbledore said. "Given the recent events in Hogsmeade and the disruption to the future Hogsmeade weekend schedule, the rest of the staff and I have decided to offer you a special Halloween party tonight. The festivities will start at 7 o'clock here in the Great Hall. We ask that you use your skills learnt thus far to create costumes for the party and there will be a contest for the best costumes in a number of categories.

"First and Second Years, please feel free to speak with your Head of House for assistance with costumes. There will be many fun activities and music at the party and we hope that you all enjoy it."

The Headmaster settled back in his seat as a buzz of chatter filled the hall after his unexpected announcement. He was delighted to see the excitement on the students' faces and the cheer in their voices. It was moments like those that made suffering through traumatic battles worth it.

"This is what we are fighting for," Albus said aloud.

"Indeed it is, Albus," Minerva McGonagall replied as she tipped a goblet in his honor. "The children deserve to be this happy and carefree everyday of their lives instead of living in fear of the next attack. I hope we'll have that way of life again soon."

* * *

"So, Ferret Breath, what are you going to be for the party?" Hermione asked Draco as she settled into an armchair in their common room.

"I was thinking of going as Dracula," he admitted. "What do you think? I will have to charm my hair and teeth, but the rest will be simple."

"Great idea!" Hermione exclaimed. "I would dress as Mina, but I don't think anyone would get that. I was thinking of going as Cleopatra. It would be something completely different for me. What do you think?"

Draco smirked as he envisioned Hermione in Egyptian garb and jet black hair. "I think that absolutely no one will know who you are and you'll be able to do anything you want the entire evening. It's very freeing, Halloween. You can be anyone you want to be."

Hermione's brow furrowed as Draco drifted off into deep thought, forgetting all about the conversation they were having a mere moment ago. She was worried for her new friend since he seemed unlike himself lately. Draco Malfoy was normally opinionated and snarky, but recently he was pensive and quiet. Something was up but Hermione had no idea what it could be. He certainly was not bringing anything up for discussion.

Leaving Draco to his thoughts, Hermione climbed the stairs to her bedroom as thoughts of a relaxing soak in the tub ran through her mind.

Filling the tub with steaming hot water, Hermione charmed pink and purple bubbles to flow out of the faucet as well. Once the tub was full, Hermione slipped into the hot water, letting the heat wash over her and releasing the tension from her shoulders. The past two weeks were rough after that Death Eater attack in Hogsmeade. None of the students felt safe after that, even the First and Second Years who did not experience the terror first hand. Hermione didn't let that prevent her from being there for the students whenever she was needed in the past two weeks, which was more often than she would have liked.

It was extremely kind of the staff to offer the stressed students such a festive night to unwind… and to teach the younger students that this was the way of life now - battles, both planned and unexpected, and the recovery period afterwards. Life went on no matter what happened the day before, they would learn. It was a tough lesson for students their age, but it was necessary in these times.

Hermione would have been much sadder for the younger students if she and her friends had not already faced all that and more at their age. That was war, she thought. It made adults out of very young children.

Lingering for a few more minutes of carefree delight, Hermione sat up in the tub. With her hair wet, she grabbed her wand and charmed her hair to be silky and jet black as it dried. After several years of practice, Hermione discovered that it was much easier to work with her hair if she cast the charms when her hair was freshly washed and wet.

After climbing out of the bath, Hermione checked to make sure that her hair came out the way she hoped. She grabbed a brush and ran it through her sleek black hair, admiring how easily it slipped through the locks. How many years did she spend wishing that she had straight, easy to manage hair? Being a witch made it easier to get the things one wanted, but it came a cost. Energy spent and it would have to be repeated several times a day to maintain it.

There was plenty of time before the Halloween celebration and Hermione did not want to get into costume too soon with nothing to do. Feeling delightfully relaxed, she decided to cuddle up on the settee with a good book for a few hours before it came time to get ready for the party.

Lost in the fine weaving of words that made up the book, Hermione barely realised how quick the minutes passed. That was the joy of a good book as far as Hermione Granger was concerned - to get lost in a world that was not your own so deeply that she forgot the real world around her. The next time she glanced at the time, it was six o'clock in the evening.

"Bugger!" Hermione exclaimed, spooking Crookshanks with her sudden expletive. "Sorry Crooks, but I have barely enough time to get ready for the party."

Flicking his tail in annoyance at his mistress, Crookshanks leapt from the settee and trotted out of the room. It was the half kneazle equivalent of saving 'good luck with that', Hermione thought.

The next forty-five minutes was a flurry of hair care, makeup, and costume charms and counter charms. The fifth time she tried to charm her costume into existence, Hermione wanted to pull her hair out.

"I really should have practiced this!" she spat through clenched teeth. "Why isn't this charm working?"

Hermione's slender fingers paged through an advanced spells tome, frantically searching for a spell that would do what she wanted since the one she had chosen could do nothing more than turn her current robe green with ruffles. That was not even close to what she wanted.

On the verge of screaming in utter frustration, Hermione flipped to a page with intricate wardrobe charms. The page was full of descriptions of how to redesign existing clothing to suit current needs. Hermione read the text thoroughly twice to make sure that she had the charms down before attempting to create her costume again.

With only a few minutes until seven o'clock struck, Hermione sighed contentedly as she twirled in front of the mirror. The charms worked exactly as the text said they would and her costume was the epitome of a classic Cleopatra garb — form-fitting, sleeveless white robe with a thick gold belt and neckline. With her hair charmed black and sleek and her makeup done in a way to make her colouring tanner than she had ever been before, Hermione felt like a completely different person.

At one minute to seven, Hermione eased her way down the stairs to the common room to meet Draco. Wholly unused to walking in heels, she took each step with extreme care in order to make herself feel stable. In reality, Hermione had cast a balancing charm on her heels to ensure that she would not topple over or break a heel, but her mind still thought that she was unsteady. Upon reaching the bottom step, Hermione heard a sharp gasp and her head snapped up.

"Bloody hell, Granger!" Draco practically shouted as he eyed her from head to toe. "You look… hot."

Smiling demurely, Hermione blushed and the effect on her tan skin was beautiful. "Thanks, Draco. You look great too." She took in the stark contrast between the normally blonde wizard's alabaster skin and his raven's wing hair. With his slicked back hair and blood red lips, Draco was equally as striking as Hermione.

"We'll make quite the pair when we walk through the doors," Draco admitted. "Speaking of, we better go."

"Right, sorry I took right up until the last minute to get ready," Hermione apologised. "I could not get the clothing charms to work properly and I had to do some research."

Draco chuckled at his friend. "I figured as much when I heard frustrated shouts coming from your room. I was about to come up and check on you when you opened your door to come down."

"Well, are you ready to make an impression?"

Smirking, Draco grasped Hermione's hand and led the way to the Great Hall. Upon arrival at the hall, they both stopped to stare at the extravagantly decorated room and the sea of costumed students.

"Wow, Professor Flitwick really out did himself on this one," Hermione said, awed by the details of the decorations.

Bats fluttered down from the enchanted ceiling as the glowing pumpkins smiled or sneered at passing students. Ghosts floated throughout the room, forcing students and professors alike to walk through them. Cobwebs were spread sporadically through the hall and various creepy crawlies walked along the floor, on tables, and up the walls. It was truly amazing how much thought and preparation the staff put into this last minute event. All that work made it that much better for the students as they oohed and ahhed at all of the life like decorations.

"Ahh, Miss Granger and Mister Malfoy, thank you for joining us on this haunting evening!" Headmaster Dumbledore greeted the Head Girl and Boy as they lingered in the doorway. "We hope that you enjoy the festivities while still assisting the staff with the students."

"Thank you, sir," Hermione said, while Draco added, "Of course, sir."

As the Headmaster strolled off to greet other students, Hermione and Draco glanced at each other. "How in the world did the old coot know who we were?" Draco asked, stunned.

"Oh, you know Dumbledore. He knows everything that goes on around here. It's kind of scary sometimes, the things he knows."

Shrugging it off, the Head Girl and Head Boy made a round through the Hall, scoping out the costumes and checking out the rest of the decorations. After their pass was completed, Hermione led Draco over to where Harry and Ginny were hanging out.

"Hi mates!" Harry greeted as he handed them cups of punch. "Love the costumes! I wouldn't have recognized you if not for some help from the Headmaster. He seems to know who everyone is even when it's impossible to tell."

"Thanks, Potter," Draco said as he sat next to Ginny.

"I love your costume too, Harry," Hermione said as she eyed his pirate get up. Between his shock of unruly hair and the necessity to wear his spectacles over the eye patch, it was very easy to tell that he was Harry.

Ginny, on the other hand, was dressed as Cruella de Ville from the Muggle movie The Dalmations. She looked amazing and Hermione told her as much. As she stood watching her friends, she was struck by how well Ginny and Draco were getting on.

The youngest Weasley child was the most liberal and accepting of the clan and she was rarely ever needlessly mean to anyone. As such, she accepted Draco into the fold as easily as Hermione had done. But lately, it seemed like Ginny and Draco gravitated toward each other in social situations. It was an interesting new dynamic to their group since everyone, including Ginny, had thought that she and Harry would get it together one day and finally start a relationship. It did not appear that was happening any day soon, so Ginny was expanding her horizons instead of pining for the Chosen One. And since it was quite evident that Harry did not mind the closeness between Ginny and Draco, it was a good thing that the young witch was moving on.

Hermione smiled at the pair as she made conversation with Harry. When Harry's attention was caught by a couple walking through the door, Hermione followed his gaze… and immediately wished she hadn't.

Ron and Lavender passed through the threshold, hands clasped and a giddy smile upon Lavender's face. They were dressed as Romeo and Juliet and Hermione knew at once that it was Lavender's idea. Ron would never be that inventive.

"I wonder if they know the actual story of Romeo and Juliet," Harry said as he turned to Hermione. "Star crossed lovers, double suicide, and all that."

"I doubt it," Hermione laughed. "But it is definitely funny for those of us who do. All the more reason to laugh at them."

"That's the spirit!" Harry cheered, clapping Hermione on the back for her good humour. "Oh, look, there's Sirius!"

Hermione's head whipped around as Harry said that and she spotted Sirius Black near the far side of the room. He was dressed as the main character from the Muggle movie _Saturday Night Fever_ in bell bottom trousers and a tight fitting shirt. His long hair was styled and he was grinning at the students as they passed him.

Was it bad that her heart skipped a beat at the sight of him? Even in that outrageous 1970s outfit, the wizard was a sight to see. As Sirius spun in place and struck a pose, Hermione acknowledged the fact that there was one benefit to those horrid styles - the tight fit to the upper parts of the trousers really showed off Sirius' fine arse. As soon as the thought crossed her mind, she mentally slapped herself.

Turning her attention away from the attention hungry wizard, Hermione gazed around at the myriad costumes. The students really had some inventive and creative costumes, even the first years that had come to her for assistance came with their own ideas as to what they wanted to be. Hermione was notably impressed with it all.

"Evening, love," Sirius purred as he stepped into Hermione's line of sight. He was smiling doggedly at the young witch as she struggled to figure out how he knew who she was when she was dressed as the Queen of the Nile.

"Good evening, Sirius," Hermione murmured, put off by his leisurely attitude and the sheer confidence he exuded. She barely managed that kind of confidence when she was all dolled up as one of the most powerful women in history.

"How did you know it was me?" she asked after a moment of staring at each other. If possible, Sirius' grin broadened.

"For starters, I saw you speaking with Harry for a while," Sirius admitted. "Add that to the way you carry yourself, your expressions, and the very basic fact that Albus told me what your costume was, it was really easy to figure it."

Hermione could hardly help the laugh that escaped her. Sirius never changed, that was what she loved about him. He had such a knack for making everything seem less important than it was. His ability to insert a bit of laid back humour into any situation was admirable and quite the relief sometimes.

"Well, then, that must have been very easy to figure out," Hermione replied. "By the way, what made you decide on your costume?"

"Well, that's a funny story, really," Sirius said as he grabbed Hermione's hand and headed for the makeshift dance floor in the middle of the Hall. "But you will have to dance with me to hear the tale."

Hermione rolled her eyes with amusement as the handsome wizard dragged her onto the packed dance floor. Professor Flitwick, with the help of a few particularly adept muggleborns, set up a DJ booth in the staff table area and managed to play the best of the wizarding world's music. Hermione was unsurprised to discover that a slow song was just starting as she and Sirius stepped into an open spot on the dance floor.

"Did you plan that?" Hermione asked playfully as she wrapped her left arm around his shoulders and grasped his left hand with her right one.

Sirius chuckled as he led them in a waltz. "Perhaps," he evaded answering properly. "So, about my costume. It's a funny story from back in my school days. I was staying at James' house for the summer and the Muggle movie _Saturday Night Fever_ was out in the theaters. James thought it would be fun to go mingle with the Muggles. Given the times, the movie was very fitting and we decided to hit the dance club scene after the show. Good times were had by all that night."

Hermione smiled at the mental image of a young Sirius and a Harry lookalike disco dancing in a club. It was quite the image. "Well, the costume suits you in an odd way."

"Er, thanks," Sirius said, a blush spreading across his cheeks. "It's both a tribute to James and a way to let the universe know that I have my life back. It's also truly liberating to dress up as someone else and let yourself act out. Don't you think?"

Hermione readily agreed, of course. She also admired the tribute to his dear, departed friend after all of those years.

As they danced through the rest of the song, silence settled upon them. As the last notes rang through the air, Sirius stepped back from Hermione and bowed. "Thank you for the dance, my Queen."

Hermione curtsied gracefully in return and allowed Sirius to lead her off the dance floor. She was on cloud nine the rest of the evening as she completed her Head Girl duties and stealthily watched Sirius out of the corner of her eyes.


End file.
